Hospitality 'unfairly and rashly singled out' in COVID measures, says MHRA
New measures announced on Thursday made it mandatory for staff working at restaurants with direct contact with patrons to have a valid vaccine certificate
Last updated on 15 January 2022, 2:38pm
MHRA said the measures discriminate between vaccinated Maltese residents and vaccinated tourists
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said the new COVID-19 measures are unfair on the hospitality sector and are a "hammer blow" for the hospitality sector.
New measures announced on Thursday, made it mandatory for staff working at restaurants with direct contact with patrons, to have a valid vaccine certificate.
"The latest decisions are baffling, and without proper reasoning on economic or scientific grounds from Government, so we have no choice but to state that the hospitality sector is being unfairly and rashly singled out," MHRA President Tony Zahra said.
MHRA remarked how the pandemic created great difficulties for the employers and employees within the sector, yet remained resilient thanks to the wage supplement granted by the Government.
"Yesterday, Government singled out the hospitality sector making it an obligation upon establishments to ensure that only the fully vaccinated are to be allowed access to their venues," it said.
MHRA said the measure discriminates between vaccinated Maltese residents and vaccinated tourists, as the Maltese Health Authorities are being more stringent on the interpretation of the validity of vaccine certificates and it goes against the EU Commission.
The lobby said the new mandate for hospitality staff contradicts the Government's statements that it would not impose mandatory vaccination on anybody.
"Our staff are critical now more than ever before as it is very difficult to attract and retain staff working in the hospitality sector and these new measures go against any other efforts being spearheaded jointly with Government to address this matter," MHRA argued.
It insisted the requirement for vaccine passports and other protocols are limited to the hospitality sector only, and accused government of not appreciating the challenges businesses face on a daily basis, including absenteeism due to quarantine and sick leave.
"We are sending a message to those unvaccinated employees, that they should look for alternative employment in other sectors of the economy where it's ok to be unvaccinated," MHRA said.
It ended the statement saying it is ready to engage with the Government to find workable solutions that get hospitality back on its feet as soon as possible.