Only the Labour Party has been given the green light by the health authorities to hold mass meetings, according to Superintendent For Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci.
Prime Minister Robert Abela last week announced that Labour would be holding a rally at Ta’ Qali on September 20, in what many are viewing as the opening shot of an imminent election campaign.
And while the Nationalist Party quickly followed suit and announced an event of their own at the Floriana Granaries on the same day, Prof. Gauci poured cold water over their plans.
“Just because the Labour mass meeting can go ahead, that doesn’t mean PN can hold one too,” Prof Gauci said during her weekly Q&A with The Times of Malta.
“That’s just not how science works. Our thorough risk assessment indicates that a Nationalist crowd would be significantly more vulnerable to Covid, given that it would mostly be made up of elderly people.
“And even though there would be ample social distancing due to the small number of people who would actually attend the rally, as someone who always follows the science and is never influenced by politics, I cannot in good conscience allow it to go ahead.”
Prof Gauci suggested an alternative event.
“Maybe Bernard Grech could address some cardboard cutouts of Nationalist supporters. That sounds like it would simulate the energy and enthusiasm of PN’s crowd quite accurately.”
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