CorporateDispatchPRO Edition 1

Issue No.1 | 18th April 2020

Corporate DispatchPro The Journal of Corporate ID Group

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Issue No.1 | 18th April 2020

Corporate DispatchPro The Journal of Corporate ID Group CONTENTS EDITORIAL TEAM

Let us not kill the dead

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Jesmond Saliba

Let Europe arise!

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Tonio Galea

A myriad of lessons from COVID19

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Matthew Bugeja

On the warpath with Covid-19

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Keith Zahra

Malta 2030

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Loneliness A Modern Epidemic

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Post-pandemic: Government policies championing environmental sustainability

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The Brands That Will Survive Covid19: Those that kept Communicating.

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CommuniqEU | Financial Services

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Denise Grech Claire Hollier Isabelle Micallef Bonello (Editorial) James Vella Clark Andrew Azzopardi

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

CommuniqEU | Defence

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Shirley Zammit

CommuniqEU | Support to UK

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Laura Grima

CommuniqEU | Small Businesses

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From Russia, with love

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A look at other global stories

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Covid means Business | Business Community

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DESIGN TEAM Matthew Borg Nicholas Azzopardi

Responds to Covid-19 outbreak COVID-19: A risk management strategy

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Local Perspective | Global Outlook

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Produced Photos Design 2

Published By

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Corporate DispatchPro Editorial

Let us not kill the dead Death has started its agonizing walk among us as we have just witnessed three lives being snatched away by the coronavirus, within a week. Our impulsive rush to refer to the departed as ‘the first three’ betrays a certain social impatience to skip forward to the end of the terrible episode like this was all a disturbing movie.

The elderly woman and the two men who left us deserve more than just a cursory mention while we update our Covid-19 datafiles. We must not pass over their deaths like an inevitable, if lamentable, footnote in the book of the pandemic.

The three lived more than 250 human years and, given their eminent ages, they must have carried abundant memories of joys and pains, pleasures and fears, ambitions and regrets. That their lives had to be cut down by an as-yet uncontrollable disease is a sorrow that all the country must bear together with their families. The deceased lady and two gentlemen join another 120,000 victims around the world – a sobering loss of life considering the speed and effectiveness with which this agent of death moves.

We have been rightly advised that the infection would ask of some the highest price, and the families of vulnerable people, especially, have been dreading this protracted situation more than anyone else. In perhaps the most infamously crude terms, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that “many people will lose their loved ones before their time”, and we saw this week that he sadly could as well have been addressing his own family and friends directly in that press conference. Science, health authorities, and the experience of other nations have been slowly preparing us for the event of casualties. But if we cannot be surprised at the death of three of our fellow citizens, neither must we be indifferent.

Dying in the age of social distancing is an excruciating passage. For

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Corporate DispatchPro patients, who can see their own demise but not their loved ones. And for families, who can feel the pain of helplessness but not the soothing touch of their relatives.

As the Maltese community has just commemorated what is arguably the most notable death in history; we cannot allow ourselves to move on casually from the death of those who could not live long enough to see the virus beaten.

YOUR TEAM AT CICONSULTA Shirley Zammit, Isabelle Micallef Bonello, James Vella Clark, Nathanael Muscat, Tonio Galea, Laura Grima, Keith Zahra, Nicholas Azzopardi, Matthew Borg, Denise Grech, Matthew Bugeja, Jesmond Saliba

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Corporate DispatchPro JESMOND SALIBA, KEITH ZAHRA & NATHANAEL MUSCAT

Let Europe arise!

As the world grapples with the spread of the novel coronavirus, politicians, political experts, social media commentators and the general public have chastised the European Union for supposedly failing to take quick, decisive and financially strong action at the onset of the pandemic.

These opinions were also fuelled by the constant stream of political accounts which recent studies have shown as to having originated from Russia any had China, two countries which have all to gain from an increased dose of anti-EU sentiment. Such campaigns find fertile ground with sectors of the population around the continent who harbour right-wing, anti-global or plainly antiEuropean sentiments.

Why has the EU abandoned us? Where is the EU when you need it? Such questions have been commonly aired online during these past couple of months.

Admittedly, the initial reaction in Brussels has been rather slow, but it would be too simplistic to attempt to answer such questions on that basis.

These questions, however, expose an unfortunate misunderstanding of the basic tenets of the Union. What is the European Union after all? Analysing the many social media debates on the issue, there is a perhaps significant chunk of the population, even in Malta, that looks at the EU as a grand political power able to direct matters from Brussels, order its Members around and shower the continent with the necessary monies to sort things out. While over the past years, members have granted Brussels powers to lead on issues such as free trade, customs, air quality, food standards and others, it remains largely a conglomeration of member states. On many crucial issues, whether its foreign policy, taxation, even many aspects of health, and most importantly on its budget, the EU either has very limited responsibility or else whatever it wants to do requires a positive nod from all the flags behind the (virtual) table.

This means that the EU is no external body which can ‘do’ or ‘refuse to do’ something, but ultimately the addition of what its Member States want. Take health: the primary responsibilities of organising and delivering health services and medical care remain strongly the prerogative of its member states. Financially, lots of misconceptions abound. While the multi-million annual budgets tend to

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impress us living in small countries, and used to meagre budgets, at some EUR 148 million in 2019, the EU budget represents no more than 1% of the total income of all EU Member States. The EU budget, for crying out loud, is roughly the size of Austria’s, hardly a European super-state.

When earlier in March, Italy made an urgent appeal for help in sourcing medical supplies, including masks, many blamed the EU for sitting back while indeed it was a number of member states that had expressed reluctance to provide support.

In this context, it is precisely because the continent needs more Europe that the Union was not able to immediately start dishing out the urgent help required by countries such as Italy. It is, yet again, not the first time in history, that countries around the continent attempt to shift the blame to the organisation for homemade failures or actions they are unwilling to take. Despite the limited political and financial power, the European Commission has, it did come out with a historic job-saving, economy-boosting €100 billion solidarity fund. It has taken a flurry of initiatives, including making all remaining EU funds at the disposal of member states to use in the fight against the pandemic and its economic effect, allowed the use all available remaining funds from this year’s EU budget to help to respond to the needs of European health systems, approved state aid measures in record time and provided a massive financial boost to research on the virus.

After long hours of debate, EU finance ministries managed to cough up half a trillion euro in a rescue package described as unprecedented to support economies not only to bear the current economic drought but also to support the revival.

The monies are complemented by courageous fiscal actions such as the suspension of the Stability Pact, a relaxation of state aid rules and the historic triggering of the ‘general escape clause’ allowing national governments to inject into their economies as much as is required.

Special funding of tens of millions of euros has also been set aside for vaccine research as well as innovation projects related to the broader consequences of coronavirus. On the medical side, the Commission is helping directly to boost production of medical equipment and expediate its distribution to all regions as necessary.

Yet, if Europe is required to do more, it must be allowed to do more. The Covid-19 Response plan is offering a rare glimpse into the significance of European

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Corporate DispatchPro collaboration at citizen-level. From the scheme to keep people in their jobs to direct grants for companies, and from the repatriation of thousands of stranded people to the clampdown on fraudulent ‘cures’, the Commission is arguably as close to its citizens as we have ever witnessed. But there is no further room for manoeuvre. Europe needs the right tools if it is to do more.

Two examples come to mind on inspiration of the current pandemic. But, for this to happen, fundamental changes have to take place. A strong European response mechanism, which is not limited to a frankly ridiculous 1% must be in place to support nations at times of greatest need. Secondly, with the removal of borders and millions of people working, studying and travelling in other Member States, our health has become a common concern. Hence, Europe needs a strong health agency, empowered and financed to take decisions rather than merely coordination with individual countries do.

The pandemic calls on committed Europeans to take this project further, for the benefit of the whole continent and its population. It is only by forging a stronger Union that has the political strength and financial clout to act that the continent will emerge in more united in the coming years. As Winston Churchill quipped back in 1946 at the end of World War II, it is time again to “Let Europe arise”.

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Corporate DispatchPro MATTHEW BUGEJA

A myriad of lessons from COVID19 This is an ambitious exercise. One which will take a while to complete. But I am committed to providing different items which could serve as interesting discussion points for how we manage our societies, governments and businesses after COVID19.

In no particular order.

1.

The World Health Organisation should be given complete jurisdiction in any pandemic, drafting in local authorities for help.

2. The World Health Organisation should have two medical professionals from every country on standby to respond to a pandemic, acting as a rapid reaction force, deployable within 72 hours of notification.

3. Every individual’s health information should be stored on biometric passports, including immunisations, with particular emphasis on previous COVID19 infection and/or immunity.

4. Upon booking a flight, passengers should be screened two days before travel by medical professionals engaged by the airlines for COVID19.

5. Upon arrival at a destination, travellers should be further screened by local authorities, and housed in an area close to the airport, awaiting their COVID19 screening test results. Should they test negative for the virus, they will be allowed to continue on their trip. If they test positive for the virus, they will be quarantined by the receiving country, but reimbursed for the cost of care by the traveller’s country of residence.

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6. International financial institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank, should have a separate pool of resources specifically allocated to pandemic outbreaks, with very loose conditionality.

7. National militaries should be trained for response to pandemics more specifically, including in civil assistance, national policing and reacting to civil disobedience, including but not limited to the protection of essential establishments, such as grocery stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

8. Those dependent on tourism should plan for future outbreaks by making their establishments available to the authorities for other uses. For instance, hotel chains should consider housing quarantine patients and medical personnel, or essential government personnel who cannot work from home. Hotel staff should be allocated hazard pay, and trained in dealing with clients from suitable distances, whilst cleaning staff should be particularly protected.

9. Governments should establish suitable contingency funds as a matter of course, simply as a good practice, whereby between 0.1-1% of GDP is allocated each year to crisis response and management.

10. National Health Services should have fully fledged contagion plans to better prepare for a COVID19-like outbreak in the future, which includes access to emergency funding, the identification and requisitioning of locations as back up medical facilities, and training which allows for response to floods of cases.

11. Governments should provide all available statistics, analysis and forecasting on the outbreak, including when a crisis is expected to peak, in order to manage expectations from their citizens.

12. In the case of outbreaks in Western countries, governments should not hesitate to immediately lock down areas as is necessary, including employing the use of means and methods that would be considered as infringing upon key freedoms in peacetime. This includes lockdowns of individuals in towns with considerable outbreaks through the use of law enforcement and military personnel to prevent the spread to other areas.

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Corporate DispatchPro 13. To follow up on the previous point, governments should employ individual tracing methods during pandemic outbreaks in order to quickly identify individuals, through the use of mobile technology and GPS systems, even if through the use of anonymised data. Any one who would have been within a several metre radius of an infected individual could be identified, traced and tested.

14. Upon identification of an outbreak in a country, that country must be immediately and irrevocably quarantined until the outbreak has been contained, and eliminated. Flights to and from the country should be cut off, if not by the country in question, then by those participating in trade, travel and commerce with it.

15. In a time of crisis similar to that of COVID19, countries should seek to reallocate workers from industries that were hard hit, to those with a dire need of supply on a form of lend-lease programme. For example, in the case of the COVID19 outbreak, those from the hospitality industry could have been allocated to the transportation, logistics and supermarket outlets. The government would pay for 25% of the employee’s wage, the hospitality employer would pay 25% of the wage, and the new & temporary employer, e.g. the logistician, would pay for 50% of the wage. Once this demand subsides, and the worker is no longer needed at the logistics company, they would be reassigned to their original employer.

16. Economic growth for the sake of economic growth has not been a sustainable model for years. Governments should consider what they want that economic growth to provide - and it should be to provide better living conditions for their citizens. That includes investment in the environment, a drive to cleaner energy, and the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050 to tackle climate change.

17. Globalisation is not over, not by any means. We will still need global supply chains to manufacture, service and deliver products. However, countries should seek to consider prioritising security of supply over economic considerations when it comes to certain products which are deemed to be essential for national security, such as certain materials and manufacturing.

This is not to say that countries should not continue importing from developing countries, but just like you would diversify your investment portfolio, you should also diversify your sources of supply.

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18. Companies have grown lax in their risk assessment, and have found themselves incredibly exposed to the damaging effects of COVID19.

The damage could not have been fully prevented, but to some extent, it could have been mitigated. Once the coronavirus made it to European shores, in late January 2020, companies should have been more aware of the danger, particularly as the virus began to tear through Italy’s health care system.

19. Most meetings could just be an e-mail. Let’s be honest, too many meetings could be done through video conferencing and e-mail exchanges. Physical meetings are still important, in order to establish a personal relationship with the other individual, or to evaluate their intentions in a face to face setting. But we need to consider using technology more, which will save a lot of time and energy for everyone involved.

20. Remote working - I am a parent, so I understand the importance of flexibility on working schedules. A lot of companies relied on teleworking in order to continue operating during COVID, where it was possible. Obviously, plumbers, plasterers and electricians would have some problems working from home. But other professionals in industries such as finance, IT, and administration have no such issues. Providing remote working opportunities provides flexibility to employees, and shows that you care about their well-being at least as much as your bottom line.

21. More money needs to be invested by governments into the scientific community as a whole. Healthcare professionals are trying their best to avoid becoming overwhelmed, but they all pray every single day for a vaccine. That comes from scientists working in laboratories, working day and night trying to find a treatment that will save millions of lives. There was no way a vaccine could have been developed before the coronavirus struck, but they should have every resource available, no questions asked, and a global infrastructure put in place to harness their efforts into a single, cohesive unit for the betterment of mankind as a whole. This would involve harnessing the power of both the private and public sectors.

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Corporate DispatchPro 22. The aviation industry has been hit hard by this virus, but they were also, unwittingly, the carriers of the disease for months. In line with improving detection of diseases before travel, aviation companies should consider speaking to scientists and engineers to put in place air filtration systems that might reduce the risk of transmission onboard with something as highly infectious as COVID19.

23. Every country should have stockpiles in place of the key equipment that was so sorely lacking in dealing COVID19. It was apparent that countries would hoard supplies, particularly if they manufactured them to begin with. Once realism begins to creep in, and cooperation is more limited, it is highly contingent on countries to ensure that they have a stockpile which would provide enough medical supplies, such as PPEs, to last their healthcare service through a minimum of 4-6 weeks. + 24. Financial and investment managers will need to consider the implications of future outbreaks on their investments to no small degree. They ought to consider pricing in medical risks on their investments, where this is both possible and applicable.

25. The EU must create a bailout fund with little or no conditionality attached to them to respond in times of absolute crisis, particularly when the crisis is not of the fund recipient’s making. In cases such as natural disaster, war, terror attack or pandemic, the EU needs to decide whether it seeks to be a force for all of its members, or simply a club which has similar interests and goals, but little in the way of friendship and solidarity when disaster hits. A balance must be found.

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Corporate DispatchPro TONIO GALEA

On the warpath with Covid-19 The world is, without doubt, entering a new era as the coronavirus continues to spread unabated to every corner. This era that has yet to be formally defined, but it will certainly shape every strata of society for years to come.

The wide-ranging effects of the disease could not have been predicted and they will continue to be felt at all levels: educational, economic and social.

But developments are still in the early stages and the outcomes are hard to determine. What is certain is that this is another defining moment in the history of mankind.

Many leaders have likened the struggle against the pandemic to a ‘war’. The traditional image that comes to mind at the word ‘war’ is of military armed to their teeth on the front line.

In this war, the front line troops are the doctors and nurses and other medical professionals, and many of them are indeed paying with their lives. In reality, they are always on the front line, but their battles are often overlooked.

While before finances were allocated to building the best military machine, now the priority is to have one’s medical sector geared up with the best offensive and defensive measures that a national budget allows.

As our grandparents lived through WW2, this generation has the covid-19 It is a silent and invisible enemy that knows no borders and that has already taken a heavy toll on humanity with thousands of lives lost. They are fathers, mothers, children and grandparents who will never back.

The coronavirus is the war of our times, with its victims and heroes, the sung and the unsung.

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Jonathan Borg

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Corporate DispatchPro JESMOND SALIBA

Malta 2030 It only took a few days of partial lockdown to demonstrate how deeply our separate lives are connected by our consumption patterns. From the fuel we put in our cars to the office rent we pay to the after-lunch coffee and the training session at the gym, together they form an imperceptible grid that makes us a community.

It is not to say that societies are based on transactions; surely there is a more profound sense of collective identity and shared narrative that holds us together. Besides, the feeling of community almost amplified proportionally with the severity of social distancing measures.

But the Covid-19 emergency gives a new dimension to our economic relationships. When we produce and consume, our actions reach far beyond the immediate buying-selling process and help sustain an entire cycle of living.

Participating in the market is, therefore, an essentially public act. Not simply because we trade with other people, but more importantly because we contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of everyone else within the system.

Public life, in this perspective, is not limited to politicians or activists.

Quite the contrary and, as oxymoronic as it sounds, the private sector is utterly public in its nature.

The upheaval in the past weeks made clear that the interests of employers and investors are not contrary to those of employees and customers, and many people are, in fact, both one and the other. So much so, that throughout the crisis the business community has emerged strongly as a guarantor of the common good.

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Corporate DispatchPro As the general conversation slowly shifts from emergency management to recovery planning, the private sector must be allowed more room in the public arena. Businesses, on their part, ought to become more mindful of their function within the civic domain and step up their involvement in the community from conventional CSR or ESG programmes.

It would be a mistake to think that the post-Covid era will be a safe landing in the world we know. Expectations will change for every stakeholder and, now that the private sector affirmed its centrality to public affairs, businesses must not shrink back to the periphery.

This is why we’re launching Malta 2030. We have the opportunity to shape Malta of tomorrow.

Jonathan Borg

If you’re interested in shaping tomorrow’s Malta Get in Touch with us.

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Corporate DispatchPro DR NATALIE KENELY Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Faculty for Social Wellbeing

Loneliness

A Modern Epidemic (Social Wellbeing UOM) INTRODUCTION Most of us know it, are acquainted with it. At some point in our lives it is likely that you or I will feel lonely. Loneliness has been described as a scourge of modern times, a cruel reality, the worst form of punishment for humans, and a growing phenomenon. A simple online search on the topic of loneliness produced headlines describing it as a public-health threat, as something that is killing people, as something we need to start talking about. Research studies on loneliness, its causes and its effects abound. The Faculty for Social Wellbeing, at the University of Malta, and Caritas (Malta) have identified loneliness as one of the main difficulties faced by Maltese society today.

In an interview with Tim Adams (2016) for The Guardian, John Cacioppo, a leading social neuroscientist who researched the area of loneliness extensively, described how loneliness is like an iceberg – it goes deeper than we can see. He explained how being with others does not necessarily mean you’re going to feel connected, and being alone does not mean you are going to feel lonely. So – there is nothing inherently problematic about solitude in and of itself. I would say loneliness is not about being alone; it is about not feeling connected. And connection to others is widely considered as a fundamental human need – crucial to wellbeing (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, Baker, Harris, & Stephenson, 2015).

Loneliness is a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship, which happens when the quantity and quality of social relationships that we have, do not tally with those that we really want.

It is often associated with social isolation, but people can and do feel lonely even when in a relationship or when surrounded by others.

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For most of us the loneliness we experience will be transient in nature.

It is when this loneliness becomes long-term and persistent that it becomes a serious concern, creating “a persistent, self-reinforcing loop of negative thoughts, sensations and behaviours” (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008, p.7). In other words, it is long-term, chronic loneliness that wears us down rather than loneliness that is ‘situational’ or passing. Once loneliness becomes chronic, it is difficult to treat. It has in fact, been described as one of the surest markers in existence, for maladjustment.

WHO SUFFERS FROM LONELINESS?

Loneliness affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds – from a child struggling to make friends in his new school, to a new parent having to cope alone, to an old woman who outlived her friends and her life companion and found herself all alone for many years. Evidence suggests that some life transitions – such as moving home, changing schools, coming to another country seeking asylum, developing a health condition, leaving care, becoming a carer, becoming a parent, changing jobs or leaving work, experiencing family breakdown and bereavement – can act as triggers for chronic loneliness. There are also some characteristics that appear to leave people more vulnerable to becoming lonely than others. For example, the evidence suggests that levels of loneliness are higher among disabled people, people who have mental health issues, those who are in poor health, those who live alone, the oldest older people, carers and people from some (but not all) minority ethnic communities (Mental Health Foundation, 2016).

There is a common myth regarding who experiences loneliness. It is commonly held that loneliness particularly affects the elderly who may be socially isolated due to decreased mobility and loss of friends and partners (Singh & Misra, 2009). And yet, loneliness affects people at all ages, including children, and is particularly prevalent in the teenage years. Children have cited reasons for their increased feelings of loneliness, the most common being family relationship problems, issues linked to school, and bullying. The fear of ostracism is often acute among teenagers and young people. Holt-Lunstad et al. (2015) analysed 70 studies encompassing 3.4 million people. They found that the prevalence of loneliness peaks in adolescents and young adults, then again in the eldest in society. Hawkley and Cacioppo (2010) explain that as many as “80% of those under 18 years of age and 40% of adults over 65 years of age report being lonely at least sometimes, with levels of loneliness gradually diminishing through the middle adult years, and then increasing in old age (i.e. >70 years)” (p.218).

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Corporate DispatchPro EFFECTS OF LONELINESS

The evidence is growing that loneliness has serious consequences not only for individuals’ wellbeing but also for their health and the economic stability of wider society. Social pain is as real a sensation for us as physical pain, and research has shown that loneliness impacts on health in a greater way than smoking or obesity (Harris, 2015). Holt-Lunstad et al.

(2015) have produced robust evidence that premature mortality increases amongst those experiencing social isolation and loneliness. Those with strong social relationships were 50 percent more likely to survive longer than those who were isolated. A recent review of studies indicates that loneliness increases mortality risk by 26% (Harris, 2015).

The magnitude of the risk far exceeds that of many leading health indicators and recent research indicates that this may be the next biggest public health issue on par with obesity and substance abuse. Loneliness has been linked to increased levels of stress hormones and inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, dementia and even suicide attempts (Brody, 2017).

Work over the past couple of decades by social neuroscientists such as John Cacioppo has shown that loneliness causes physiological events that wreak havoc on our health. Persistent loneliness leaves a mark via stress hormones, immune function and cardiovascular function with a cumulative effect that means being lonely or not, is equivalent in impact, to being a smoker or non-smoker (Cacioppo and Hawkley, 2007).

Loneliness alters our behaviour, increasing our chances of indulging in risky habits such as drug-taking, and plays a role in mental disorders such as anxiety and paranoia (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008). Children suffering from loneliness drop out from school earlier and are prone to delinquency and anti-social behavior (Estroff Marano, 2003).

Loneliness also makes it harder for people to regulate themselves and leads to self-destructive habits, such as overeating or relying on alcohol.

Loneliness weakens willpower and perseverance over time, so people who have been lonely for a while are more likely to indulge in behaviour that damages their health (Yesikar, Dixit, & Kant Guleri, 2014). Lonely people are more likely to withdraw from engaging with others and less likely to seek emotional support, which makes them more isolated. Lonely people also experience more difficulties sleeping, and sleep deprivation is known to have the same effects on metabolic, neural and hormonal regulation as ageing (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008).

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Faculty for Social Social Wellbeing STUDY

Social Work Social Policy Youth Studies Community Development Counselling Gender Studies Criminology Disability Studies Gerontology Psychology Family Studies & Family Therapy

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socialwellbeing@um.edu.mt

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Corporate DispatchPro Society prides itself on self-reliance. Because of this, people who suffer from loneliness might find it hard to admit it and seek help because of the stigma it carries with it (Griffin, 2010). It is also often difficult to refer lonely people to services where they can find support, as they cut themselves off from the rest of the world and feel safe only at home. Lonely people often also experience very low self-esteem. Lacking confidence in themselves, they often believe that they are unworthy of the attention or regard of other people. And this can lead to further isolation and chronic loneliness. The helpline 179 in Malta, reported that loneliness is on the increase among the callers to this service, describing how several callers admit over the phone that they have no one to speak to, despite being surrounded by people (Carabott, 2018).

THE WAY FORWARD

We need to take collective action in tackling loneliness as a public health threat. Gerst-Emerson and Jayawardhana (2015) emphasise the point that “loneliness and social isolation are often overlooked, despite being vital public health concerns, with mortality risk comparable to wellestablished risk factors such as cigarette smoking and even exceeding the influence of physical activity and obesity” (p.1013). While “we do not yet know whether efforts to reduce isolation and loneliness can actually improve health” (Singer, 2018, np), there are studies that do suggest increasing social networks can improve health (Eng, Rimm, Fitzmaurice,& Kawachi, 2002; Ciechanowski et al. 2004, Teo et al. 2015).

While central Government cannot solve loneliness alone, it can play a role in galvanising the key players, catalysing action, assessing and comparing progress, and holding those who need to act, accountable.

All stakeholders – Government, academics, front line practitioners and other experts – need to collect data on who loneliness affects in Malta and when, and collect evidence and measure impact of initiatives that tackle loneliness. To this end, the Faculty for Social Wellbeing has carried out extensive research on this phenomenon in Malta and some thought provoking though worrying results have emerged. Results of this 2019 research show that 186,000 persons over the age of eleven are suffering from some degree of loneliness. One in three young people in Malta, aged 11-19 years are moderately lonely. Participants aged 35-54 years reported the highest rates of severe loneliness (Clark, Azzopardi, & Bonnici, 2019).

These figures are a cause for concern, especially given that we still think of Malta as made up of very closely-knit communities, where the sense of family is very strong and where different entities, including the church provide opportunities for people to come together.

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We need to equip people with information on the triggers of loneliness and where to seek help. Funds need to be made available to catalyse action in communities – local councils, parishes, and business leaders. We need to ensure that our general medical practitioners and professionals in the social services understand the impact of loneliness on both physical and mental health, so that medical and social care assessments of individuals take into account the impact of loneliness, and direct people to appropriate local services and opportunities.

One approach to loneliness is preventative: we can stop loneliness becoming chronic and tackle the needs of groups that are socially excluded and at risk of isolation. But the success of such measures depends on creating a new climate in which we can better manage our need for social connection.

We need to create connection-friendly communities – community and voluntary sector groups have a responsibility to make sure that their work helps people to connect and build relationships. This might be about developing new services, and building the evidence for what works in tackling loneliness. Or it might be as simple as making sure everyone feels welcome in our groups, and making special effort to help those who might need a bit of extra support to take the first step in joining in.

We need to create initiatives that build bridges between generations, and more inclusive communities that encourage cohesion and unity. We need to have long-term strategies and social policies that strengthen communities and encourage community involvement. Abrams (2018) strongly recommends that all policies must be put to the ‘loneliness test’.

She goes on to say that examining any reductions to services or policy changes for their potential impact on loneliness would help address many connected issues. The more we understand unwanted isolation, the more we see the impact on related areas of people’s wellbeing. It is truly time for loneliness to become a more common consideration for all public services.

CONCLUSION

Tackling loneliness is a multi-generational challenge and it will take time before we see a society-wide change and positive outcomes. By squandering ‘social capital’ in the individualistic pursuit of greater wealth, or treating these social networks as incidental or secondary, are we neglecting a part of life that makes us happy and keeps us healthy for longer?

The spread of this phenomenon may just about be the wake-up call we need to act sooner rather than later. This conversation on loneliness needs to continue. It will serve to raise awareness and reduce the stigma that it

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Corporate DispatchPro carries. And while large-scale interventions may be necessary to tackle it effectively, each one of us can take action to defeat it. We can be catalysts of change in the communities we work and live in, in our very own circles of family and friends.

REFERENCES Abrams, Z., (2018). All policies must be put to the “loneliness test”. New Statesman, UK 15th October, 2018. https://www. newstatesman.com/spotlight/healthcare/2018/10/why-all-policies-must-be-put-loneliness-test Adams, T. (2016). Loneliness Uncovered – Interview with John Cacioppo. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/ science/2016/feb/28/loneliness-is-like-an-iceberg-john-cacioppo-social-neuroscience-interview Brody, J., (2017). The surprising effects of loneliness on health. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/ well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html Cacioppo, J. T. and Hawkley, L. C. (August 2007). Aging and Loneliness: Downhill Quickly?Current Directions in Psychological Science http://psychology.uchicago.edu/people/faculty/cacioppo/CHASRS.shtml Cacioppo, J. T. and Patrick, W. (2008). Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Carabott, S. (2018). Help! – When the phone is the shoulder to lean on. The Times of Malta, September, 3, 2018). https:// app.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180903/local/help-when-the-phone-is-the-shoulder-to-lean-on.688152 Ciechanowski, P., Wagner, E., Schmaling, K., Schwartz, K., Williams, B., Diehr, P., Kuler, J., Gray, S., Collier, C., and LoGerfo, J. (2004). Community-integrated home-based depression treatment in older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

JAMA 2004; 291:13:1569-157 Clark, M., Azzopardi, A., and Bonnici, J. (2019). The Prevalence of Loneliness in Malta: A nationally representative study of the Maltese population. Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta Eng, P.M., Rimm, E.B., Fitzmaurice, G, Kawachi I. (2002). Social ties and changes in social ties in relation to subsequent total and cause specific mortality and coronary heart disease incidence in men. Am J Epidemiology 2002:155:8:700-709 Estroff Marano, H. (2003). The Dangers of Loneliness. Psychology Today. Amerian Journal of Public Health. 2015 May; 105(5): 1013–1019. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302427 Gerst-Emerson, K., and Jayawardhana, J. (2015). Loneliness as a Public Health Issue: The Impact of Loneliness on Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults. American Journal of Public Health. 2015 May; 105(5): 1013–1019. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302427 Griffin, J., (2010). The Lonely Society. Mental Health Foundation. London Harris, R., (2015). The loneliness epidemic: we’re more connected than ever – but are we feeling more alone? https:// www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-loneliness-epidemic-more-connected-than-everbut-feeling- more-alone-10143206.html Hawkley, L.C., Cacioppo, J.T., (2010). Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 40, Issue 2, 1 October 2010, Pages 218–227, https://doi.org/10.1007/ s12160-010-9210-8 Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T., Baker, M., Harris, T., and Stephenson, D., (2015). Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Perspectives on Psychological Science 2015, Vol. 10(2) 227–237 Sage Publications DOI: 10.1177/1745691614568352 Mental Health Foundation. (2016). Fundamental Facts About Mental Health 2016. Mental Health Foundation: London.

Singer, C., (2018). Health Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness. In Journal of Ageing Life Care. https://www. aginglifecarejournal.org/health-effects-of-social-isolation-and-loneliness/Singh, A., and Misra, N., (2009). Loneliness, depression and sociability in old age. Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan-Jun; 18(1): 51–55. DOI: 10.4103/0972-6748.57861 Teo AR, Choi HJ, Andrea SB, Valenstein M, Newsom JT, Dobscha SK and Zivin K. (2015). Does mode of contact with different types of social relationships predict depression in older adults? Evidence from a nationally representative survey. JAGS 2015; 63;10:2014-2022 Yesikar, V., Dixit, S., Kant Guleri, S., (2014). Loneliness in the housewives in rising metro culture. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279- 0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 13, Issue 1 Ver I. (Jan. 2014), PP 63-66 http://www.iosrjournals.org http://www.iosrjournals.org 63 | http://www.iosrjournals. org/iosr- jdms/papers/Vol13-issue1/Version-1/Q013116366.pdf

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Corporate DispatchPro CLAIRE HOLLIER

Post-pandemic: Government policies championing environmental sustainability Towards end March 2020, when it became blatantly evident that the COVID-19 pandemic will hit hard most economic sectors in Malta, the Prime Minister accompanied by the Minister for the Environment and Planning, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Lands and Construction, met with the Malta Developers Association and Federation of Real Estate Agents. Summing up the meeting, the Prime Minister admitted that the construction industry will play a vital role in the recovery of the economy, post-pandemic.

The timing of such meeting may have raised eyebrows, since the construction industry has been notoriously associated with poor health and safety standards, resulting in several accidents - some of which tragically fatal. Furthermore, construction has had significant negative impact on the environment and social well-being. Increased construction waste and high levels of noise pollution have deteriorated our quality of life.

Notwithstanding, one cannot deny that the construction industry accounts for 3.8% of the economy with a strong multiplier effect. Construction is not solely related to developers, but generates income and employment in professional services, manufacturing, retail and trade. It is thus, unconceivable to envisage a future whereby the construction industry does not play a significant role in the revitalization of the Maltese economy post-pandemic.

If ever there was need to act, it is imperative Malta acts now. It is high time to adopt strategies to reshape the industry into one which promotes environmental sustainability, hence directing economic activity towards achieving environmental targets. Our collective consciousness must enshrine the very essence of environmental sustainability – and as a nation we should commit ourselves to protect our environment and develop in an economic responsible way.

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Corporate DispatchPro It all stems from public policy. Malta needs now more than ever, government policies committed to implement eco-friendly agendas, aiming to position Malta as leader in green technology innovative systems and eco-friendly solutions. Ideally, a Ministry championing environmental sustainability cross-sectionally within all economic and social sectors. A strategy which brings together various stakeholders – the public and the private sector, knowledge-based research institutions and civil society. Equally important is foreign input, be it in foreign direct investment, collaboration with international universities and the sharing of best practices through diplomatic relations with countries who have embraced environmental sustainability as basis for their development.

With the EU-Singapore trade agreement entering into force in November, 2019, Malta may take this opportunity to intensify trade, knowledge and diplomatic relations with the eco-friendliest country in Asia – Singapore.

In 2017, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security highlighted four core principles of environmental sustainability to the attendees of Ecosperity 2017: sustainable economy, sustainable living environment, sustainable development of our people & international collaboration. These are the four pillars summarizing how Singapore has been able to successfully balance the needs of the planet, its people and the economy that supports them.

In conclusion, in recalibrating its economy, revitalizing its construction industry and tackling urbanization, Malta cannot lose this opportunity to bring together industrialists, environmentalists and the government to work jointly to accomplish green strategies as basis for our social and economic well-being.

Disclaimer: This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the article, belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.

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Corporate DispatchPro JAMES VELLA CLARK

The Brands That Will Survive Covid19:

Those that kept Communicating.

“All we need to do is make sure we keep talking” ‘Keep Talking’ Pink Floyd.

When three weeks ago, people started retreating inside their homes, businesses started working remotely and schools closed, we all made sure of one thing: that we could keep communicating.

We needed to ensure a constant flow of information – from the daily updates on how COVID19 was evolving, to how other countries are responding, from how our lives were about to be impacted, to how best we could keep coping.

No one was expecting this to happen. We first saw it happening in China and being so far away, we thought it will never affect us. This became a gradual tsunami, as the first cases in Europe started to spread across the continent and quickly, across the world. In a matter of a week or two, global news became our local, everyday news.

Possibly, now, the biggest mistake that any brand can commit is to try and capitalize on this situation by turning it into a marketing opportunity. Any immediate gains will surely be short-lived. Because these are not normal times and people have found themselves reassessing their priorities.

So, in the same way people will look for guidance, leadership and information from those institutions that matter, they will also be expecting meaningful communication from the brands that to date, have been their main point of reference.

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This is the time for brands to start asking themselves the most important questions – possibly, those questions they’ve been afraid to ask themselves for a while; ‘Why am I relevant? What makes me appealing? What value do I bring to the lives of my customers?

Locally, perhaps, one of the best examples we’ve noticed was GO and how the company, at a most delicate point in time, was quick to assure its customers that as a brand, it was going to remain true to its commitment of keeping all its customers connected to what matters most to them.

And it kept its promise. It opened up more TV channels to help families keep themselves more occupied, it ensured that all its technical staff was mobilised to ascertain that all communication lines remained up and running, and it supported Malta’s frontliners namely doctors, nurses, police, armed forces and media people with free data bundles to help them remain connected to their loved ones.

Brands need to ask themselves what can we be doing and communicating in our country? What would be most appropriate for our brand to do right now? How best do we tell our story within this bigger context?

Another brand, Express Trailers, as Malta’s leading transport and logistics company, came out full force communicating that as it’s been doing for over 50 years, it remained committed to keep supporting the Maltese nation by acting as the vital link between Malta and mainland Europe to make sure that all the Maltese keep finding their life’s essentials on the shelves especially, food and medicinals. This helped people realise that what they have been taking for granted forever, is only made to look straightforward because of the hard work that happens ‘behind the scenes’.

Since the dawn of mankind, man has always been afraid of what he did not know or understand. This was a repeat situation that caught all the world by surprise. People were not only afraid of an unknown virus but they were mostly afraid of a situation they never imagined themselves in.

They were afraid because they did not know how or whether they would manage to cope.

When people are afraid or feeling lost, they turn for guidance. Let your brand be a guiding light – a point of reference at a truly historical time that has already changed the way we perceive the world around us, forever. This also applies to how brands communicate with their own 44

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Corporate DispatchPro stakeholders namely their clients, their suppliers, their investors and their shareholders. But most importantly, their employees.

These weeks have been an eye-opener for everyone including brands, even those who perhaps might have been having a hard time understanding their unique role in people’s lives. Brands now need to use this time wisely by doing four main things: 1 Keeping themselves reliably informed and updated so that they can keep reassuring their own people and stakeholders.

2 Nurture a closer and more personal approach with their customers, by showing them understanding.

3 Being wise with their campaigns and instead of pushing products, push what their product stands for.

4 Preparing for the eventual recovery. Yes, because nothing lasts, this too will pass and things will bounce back to full strength. And when that happens, brands need to be ready to recover just as fast to recapture the previous momentum.

All the above have one thing in common: communication. Communication breeds trust, familiarity and confidence. When this is over, people will remember those brands who never stopped communicating, even in the most dire of situations.

Now is the time to be bold – when everyone is watching.

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Every new day starts with Orange Every new day is Hope

Delivering your life’s essentials, every day. #WeAreOrange #WeAreHope #BuiltToServe

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Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.

James Vella Clark

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Corporate DispatchPro KEITH ZAHRA

CommuniqEU

Financial Services A report of the investment services industry carried out by ESMA, the European regulator in this field, concluded that the costs paid by retail investors are significantly higher than those paid by institutional investors, leading to lower net returns for this category of investors.

The report also found that average fund performance amounted to no more than +0.2% in 2018, a far cry from the +8.3% in gross terms for a one-year investment in 2017. The report stresses that as the COVID-19 pandemic affects securities markets, fund investors should be prepared to see significant negative impacts on their portfolios.

Costs, on the other hand, remained broadly stable and only marginally declined over time: for one-year investments they were 1.5% in 2018 compared to 1.6%. However, costs continue to have a significant impact on the final value of an investment, with retail clients paying around 40% more than institutional investors on average across asset classes. A hypothetical ten-year retail investment of EUR 10,000 in equity, bond and mixed funds provided a net return of around EUR 16,160 for the period 2009-2018, with costs amounting to around EUR 2,800.

The report concluded that these findings highlighted the continued need for retail investors to be provided with clear information about the impact of costs on the returns they can expect to receive, allowing them to make informed investment decisions. This forms a key element of meeting ESMA’s investor protection objective.

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Corporate DispatchPro KEITH ZAHRA

CommuniqEU

Defence

The European Commission has opened calls to finance up to €160 million in joint defence industrial projects in 2020 and announcing seven new defence research projects selected for more than €23 million of funding under the 2019 budget.

The projects are financed respectively under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), worth €500 million for 2019-2020, and the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), which has a budget of €90 million for 2018-2020. They are the precursor programmes of the fully-fledged European Defence Fund, which will foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base and contribute to the EU’s strategic autonomy.

The Commission is looking for project proposals including design, prototyping and testing Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBNR) medical countermeasures, such as preventive and therapeutic immunotherapy, which could be beneficial to tackle future pandemic crises such as the one Europe and the world are facing today.

The calls also seek to increase the EU’s capabilities to detect and counter Unmanned Air Systems such as drones in defence scenarios, and the EU’s cyber situational awareness and defence capabilities, defence networks and technologies for secure communication and information sharing.

Projects funded throughout 2019 included critical defence technologies for electronic warfare and interoperability standards for military unmanned systems.

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Corporate DispatchPro KEITH ZAHRA

CommuniqEU

Support to UK The European Commission has approved a £50 billion (approximately €57 billion) “umbrella” UK scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large corporates in the United Kingdom affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.

According to the UK Withdrawal Agreement, during the transition period, the entire body of EU law continues to apply to, and in, the UK as if it were a Member State. This includes all EU rules relating to State aid.

The measure is a UK-wide National Temporary Framework for State aid, with an estimated budget of £50 billion, and allows for the provision of aid in the form of Direct grants, equity injections, selective tax advantages and advance payments; State guarantees for loans subject to safeguards for banks to channel State aid to the real economy; c) subsidised public loans to companies with favourable interest rates; Ssupport for coronavirus related research and development (R&D); support for the construction and upscaling of testing facilities to develop and test products useful to tackle the coronavirus outbreak and support for the production of products relevant to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

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Corporate DispatchPro KEITH ZAHRA

CommuniqEU

Small Businesses The European Commission has allocated €1 billion from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that will serve as a guarantee to the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank Group.

This will allow the EIF to issue special guarantees to incentivise banks and other lenders to provide liquidity to at least 100,000 European SMEs and small mid-cap companies hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, for an estimated available financing of €8 billion. This will serve as an immediate relief to hard-hit SMEs, with money able to flow already in April. It is part of the package of measures announced by the EIB Group on 16 March designed to rapidly mobilise support for Europe’s SMEs and mid-caps.

One of the immediate economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is the sudden lack of liquidity affecting small and mediumsized businesses. These companies are typically the most affected in a crisis, and it is essential to support them with adequate liquidity so they can survive the crisis. However, in a situation of liquidity crunch banks are not incentivised to lend SMEs money due to the sudden increase in perceived risk, therefore these guarantees will help cover this necessity.

The EIF is offering to the market dedicated EFSI-backed guarantees to contain the impact of the pandemic on small and medium sized enterprises and small mid-cap companies.

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Corporate DispatchPro MATTHEW BUGEJA

From Russia, with love The world may have come to a grinding halt, but Russia has found a way to make headlines in the last week or so. It may have been buried under an avalanche of headlines related to COVID19, but Russia has been busy in recent days by dispatching aid to various countries, which have included Italy, Serbia, and surprisingly, the United States.

For those who have a sense of the spread of the coronavirus, and the reaction of various countries to it, you would understand that a number of nations have been scrambling to obtain personal protection equipment for their healthcare workers, in addition to ventilators and preparing hospital beds. COVID19 has spread at a rate which has caught most countries by surprise. Russia has taken the opportunity to send out planeloads of medical supplies and other equipment to several countries.

Some observers will put it down to Russian magnanimity, the more skeptical amongst us will attribute it to Russia seeking to bolster its soft power abroad in strategic countries. Italy has long had a close relationship with Russia, and has been one of the EU members seeking to tone down European sanctions against Moscow. Serbia is in the middle of a tug of war between the EU & Russia, with both sides seeking to plant the flag of influence in the Balkan nation. The US relationship with Russia has been complicated in recent years, but the images of Russian cargo planes bringing medical supplies to the hard-hit state of New York represented a big propaganda victory for Vladimir Putin at home - even if Russian media did not seek to overplay it, given that COVID19 cases have increased four-fold in the last week or so.

Can Russia afford to be so generous? The short answer is sort of, but not really. At the point in which it decided to ship out these supplies, its cases hovered around the 1,000 mark. At the time of writing, Russia has

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Corporate DispatchPro around 4,700 cases of the coronavirus. There has long been criticism amongst the Russian medical community that the country was not doing nearly enough testing. Quite simply, if you don’t test for it, you won’t find cases, which helps to keep the case number low. But the reality is that if you don’t prevent the virus from spreading early on, you will face an avalanche of cases once you finally commence a reasonable amount of testing, as countries such as Italy and Spain have learned to their dismay.

Russia’s gesture was generous, although it would be short sighted to think there is not some sort of strings attached. If it ends up being overwhelmed by the coronavirus, which is what some medical professionals fear in Moscow and St Petersburg, Putin will face a backlash at home at a time of a global economic downturn unlike anything the world has seen for close to a century. He will have to hope that his gamble will pay off.

The US relationship with Russia has been complicated in recent years, but the images of Russian cargo planes bringing medical supplies to the hard-hit state of New York represented a big propaganda victory for Vladimir Putin at home - even if Russian media did not seek to overplay it, given that COVID19 cases have increased four-fold in the last week or so.

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Corporate DispatchPro MATTHEW BUGEJA

A look at other global stories OIL PRICES

At the time of writing, the price of Brent Crude oil, often considered as the primary global benchmark, stands at around $34 a barrel. That’s an improvement over the $20 levels it was hovering around earlier last week, but still a far cry from what producers would hope it to be, none more so than countries who heavily depend on oil revenues to prop up their national budget. Venezuela being one of the prime examples.

Whilst consumers are rejoicing, producers are fretting. Prices have been hit by a double shock - the shut down of the global economy by the coronavirus outbreak, and the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, who could not find an agreement to set a mutually agreed production level. This has brought the prices crashing down from the mid-$60 range in January of this year.

There is more likelihood at present of the Russians & Saudis finding an accommodation in the weeks ahead than there to be a significant rebound as a result of developments from the coronavirus, which is expected to be an anchor around global growth for the remainder of 2020. OPEC and other oil producers are expected to meet on 6th April, with the aim of finding a solution to end the price war. There are a number of countries which are desperate to bolster prices to avoid further economic damage. China has been taking advantage of the low prices by adding to its strategic reserve, which has helped to balance out prices somewhat.

But this is a story worth following, given the impact it will have on the economic prospects of global oil producers worldwide, the knock on effects on the global economy as a whole.

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Corporate DispatchPro NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang has been busy lately. It is one of the only countries to state that it has not experienced a case of COVID19, although that claim is somewhat dubious. In the meantime, they have fired two ballistic missiles into the sea in recent weeks. Normally, this could be attributed to North Korea seeking to put itself into the global limelight, although even they would realise that under the circumstances, that would be less likely than ever.

Another explanation is that Kim Jong Un is looking to shore up domestic support in anticipation of a serious coronavirus outbreak in the country.

North Korea’s health infrastructure has little hope of stemming a serious tide of cases in the country, and this could prove to be one of Kim Jong Un’s greatest challenges to date. He will see the outbreak as a major threat to his rule within the country, not to mention social harmony. He has the ability to put down any dissent with military force, but that tool becomes less useful if there is an outbreak amongst the rank and file within the North Korean military.

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James Vella Clark

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Corporate DispatchPro NATHANAEL MUSCAT

Covid means Business Business Community in Malta Responds to Covid-19 outbreak

ARGUS GROUP HELPS FAMILIES WITH FOODBANK DONATION Argus Group presented a donation of €10,000 to the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation.

The group, which comprises of Argus Insurance, FirstUnited and Island Insurance Brokers, urged the public to contribute to families in need that are supported by the foodbank.

ARGUS INSURANCE HALTS IN-PERSON CONTACT Argus Insurance announced that the main office in Swatar has been temporarily closed to customers in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Insurance professionals will remain available over the phone and electronic channels. The company encourages customers to take the necessary precautions to ensure their own safety and the wellbeing of the general public.

ATTARD AND BALZAN COUNCILS FACILITATE DELIVERIES OF ESENTIALS The Local Councils of Attard and Balzan set up a delivery service for local business owners. Named You Safe, the service will serve the provision of essentials to residents and subscribed businesses include restaurants and stationers.

BELS PIVOTS TO ONLINE TEACHING English Language School BELS said that it is taking business online to serve foreign students throughout the travel ban. CEO Rebecca Bonnici said that companies “will achieve very little” if they just wait for the emergency to blow over.

BORTEX SHIFTS PRODUCTION TO MAKE MASKS Maltese clothes manufacturer Bortex is shifting its production lines to start producing face masks and medical scrubs to support the coronavirus fight.

The company said that its production lines in Malta will be making up to 30,000 face masks and medical scrubs to be used by hospitals and clinics.

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BOV ADVISES CLIENTS TO USE E-SERVICES Bank of Valletta is encouraging customers to use electronic channels as much as possible and avoid visiting branches while Covid-19 risks persist.The bank issued a series of recommendations asking clients to pay with BOV contactless cards and BOV Pay while the situation is developing. BOV has also issued a €10 million aid package to assist business customers who have been negatively affected by the outbreak.

BOV CUSTOMERS CAN ASSIGN TRUSTED PERSONS Bank of Valletta introduced measures to allow vulnerable people to conduct banking requirements through trusted persons.

People who are most at risk can assign an individual to help them deposit cheques, pay bills, apply for Cashlinks cards, make mobile top-ups and other transactions on their behalf. The bank says the move will allow vulnerable customers to stay home during the Covid-19 emergency.

BOV PROMOTES CONTACTLESS METHODS Bank of Valletta raised the minimum cashier withdrawals allowed to €500 to limit the number of people visiting branches. Customers are encouraged to use its network of ATMs. At the same time, the bank has increased the ceiling of contactless card payments to €50 per transaction, to help people avoid handling cash at stores. The daily limit on mobile-to-mobile payments have also been increased to €1,000 from €500 previously.

BROWN’S PHARMACY LAUNCHES DELIVERY SERVICE Brown’s Pharmacy has introduced a free home delivery service for all customers registered under the government’s Pharmacy of Your Choice (POYC) scheme.

Brown’s POYC clients can contact the outlet they are registered either by calling or through the pharmacy’s Facebook Page. The group revealed plans to extend its home delivery service to the full range of products and services in the coming weeks.

COOL MEASURES TO CURB CORONAVIRUS RISKS Cool ride-pooling trips will no longer be shared, and journeys will be provided on a one-passenger policy at no extra cost to clients. All rides will, therefore, be private while keeping the same low rates. The company recommends that users sit at the back on the side opposite to the driver’s seat and that they keep the windows open for ventilation. Following emergency measures announced recently by the authorities, Cool is temporarily discontinuing rides from Malta International Airport.

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Corporate DispatchPro Since the beginning of the outbreak, Cool has stepped up disinfection methods of vehicles and increased frequency of cleansing. Drivers are being duly advised to wash their hands as often as they can, and the company is providing them with hand sanitisers.

COOL NOW DELIVERS GOODS Cool ride-pooling launched a pick-up and delivery service for goods to help people avoid from going outdoors. Deliveries can be arranged through the regular app, selecting the point of pick up and destination.

The company is also offering free rides to volunteers helping with the 111 helpline.

DRIVING LICENCE RENEWALS SUSPENDED Transport Malta suspended renewals of driving licences that are due to expire in March of later. Licences will remain valid for holders until further notice.

ECABS STEPS UP VEHICLE SANITISATION, URGES LESS HANDLING OF CASH eCabs announced the introduction of a series of measures to sanitise its vehicles, increasing in both intensity and frequency. The company has deployed hospital-grade viral and bacterial disinfectant, which is being applied in both the steaming of the vehicles, as well as thorough spray cleaning, with a special focus on door handles and seat belts.

Office premises are also being given special cleaning attention and have been equipped with hand sanitisers and notices throughout ensuring a consistent promotion of good health care practices as directed by the health authorities.

The company is also urging all passengers to reduce cash handling within the vehicles where possible, opting instead to utilise the App to complete the payment process.

FUEL STATION ATTENDANTS ON HALF-DAY The Chamber of SMEs announced that fuel pump attendants will stop working from 2:00pm to reduce person-to-person risks. Stations will remain open for fuel distribution as usual.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS RAISES CONTACTLESS LIMIT Global Payments increased its contactless spending limits to â‚Ź50 after upgrading its Point of Sale terminals. Merchants that are currently closed can request the PoS upgrade once the measures are eased.

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GO PROACTIVE WITH PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AMIDST COVID-19 OUTBREAK GO outlets have been decked with protective equipment and staff have been trained on all relevant health and safety practices. The GO outlet at Bay Street shopping complex has been closed until further notice, HSBC MALTA TRANSFERS SERVICES TO FIVE BRANCHES HSBC Malta announced that retail services will be offered from its five main branches in Valletta, Sliema, Mosta, Paola and Victoria. The move is in line with appeals by health authorities to restrict contact between people throughout the Covid-19 period. The bank recommends that clients use electronic and phone services and limit visits to branches to essential services at this time.

LOMBARD BANK ALLOCATES €12.5M FUN FOR BUSINESSES Lombard Bank set out a €12.5 million fund to help businesses sustain their cashflow requirements during the Covid-19 uncertainty. In a statement, the bank said the fund will be offered on favourable terms including a fixed debit interest rate of 2.5% per annum for amounts of up to €350,000 and for a period up 18 months.

KIND’S CLOSES SHOWROOMS UNTIL END OF MARCH Kind’s Auto Sales announced that it will close showrooms to help reduce contact between employees and customers. The company plans to re-open on April 1st, depending on the situation at the time.

MALTA ENTERPRISE LAUNCHES DEDICATED WEBSITE Malta Enterprise launched website covid19.maltaenterprise.com to inform industry about support measures for businesses. The major initiatives will focus on fiscal assistance, namely in the form of tax postponement, and facilitation of teleworking activities to safeguard operations. ME is also encouraging businesses to reduce face-to-face interactions and shift to phone services and video-conferencing instead.

MALTA PUBLIC TRANSPORT ADAPTS CLEANSING REGIME FOR CORONAVIRUS THREAT Malta Public Transport is fumigating its fleet of buses every night using special disinfection chemicals on top of the regular cleansing regime. The process is being done at the end of the day’s shifts under the supervision of the department for public cleansing. The thorough cleaning process extends to bus terminals and facilities, too.

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Corporate DispatchPro The company implemented a series of operational measures to facilitate the containment of the virus including limiting the number of passengers aboard buses to seating capacity. Meanwhile MPT revised schedules to add extra journeys on several routes to make up for the loss in carrying capacity.

Drivers have also been instructed not to give out change for cash tickets to avoid exchange of money and customers are being asked to pay with travel cards whenever possible.

MALTA TOGETHER IS BORN MaltaTogether.com was launched to enable businesses and individuals request and donate services or goods throughout the crisis period. The nonprofit online portal was created to help people cope with the disruption caused by the pandemic. The initiative was endorsed by Dr Lydia Abela, the Prime Minister’s wife, and international foorball star Thiago Alcantara.   MANOUCHE SHIFTS TO DELIVERIES Manouche Craft Bakery teamed up with J Cabs to provide delivery service for online orders. Co-owner Bjorn Bartolo said that the company has revised its menu and prices to cater for families staying at home.

MEDIRECT INTRODUCES REMOTE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS MeDirect confirmed that it plans to keep operations going throughout the Covid-19 outbreak even in the event of a national lockdown. Contingency measures have been put in place to allow employees to work from home.

The measures are not mandatory, but the bank is prepared to enforce the procedures if the need arises. Group Chief Executive Officer Arnaud Denis said that the bank issued special guidelines to help customers access their accounts and investments both online and over the phone in a seamless manner.

MISCO TAKES TRAINING ONLINE Misco launched a fully-immersive e-learning platform offering a wide selection of original courses and training sessions. The new service delivers an impressive range of development resources, from 30-minute webinars to fulllength live-session programmes.

The range of courses also includes accredited programmes starting in April and May, just in time for professionals who choose to take the opportunity to invest in their careers. More importantly, Misco has updated its training material across all courses to reflect the impacts of the current Covid-19

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Corporate DispatchPro situation on professions and careers. Misco is constantly adding new titles to its online learning collection and open courses are available at https://training. miscomalta.com.

MISCO OFFERS FREE CONSULTATION TO HR PROFESSIONALS Misco is offering one-to-one sessions for employers and HR professionals seeking advice with regard to the current scenario. The special service provides one hour of complementary consultation related to business operations, management, administration and other related areas with no obligation.

Sessions are held via video conferencing and are readily available for booking on bit.ly/MiscoHour.

ONLINE COUNSELLING FOR CHILDREN A counselling service for children by Malta Trust Foundation has been shifted online and over the phone. The project is headed by Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and supported by the Deloitte Foundation.

RAW YOGA OFFERS FREE SESSIONS RAW Yoga is giving online classes for everyone throughout the emergency.

Subscribers can follow sessions for free, but the company recommends donations for instructors.

RE/MAX AGENTS WORK REMOTELY Re/Max Malta said that its agents are working from home, offering them access to a powerful database. The real estate company has over 400 agents who are being encouraged to limit property viewings to the essential minimum.

Company chair Kevin Buttigieg said that the agency will use this period to invest in e-learning for employees.

SIMPLY HEALTHY HOLDS CLASSES OUTSIDE Simply Healthy personal training has taken its fitness sessions outside, observing strict guidelines of safety. Founder Melania Weglinska said that she sought and obtained clearance from health authorities to conduct classes to the seaside instead of the gym.

TESSERA GIVES PPE SUPPLIES TO AUTHORITIES Tessera Co. Ltd donated â‚Ź60,000 worth of protective equipment to the health authorities and the Civil Protection Department. The company imports and distributes PPE supplies as well as other materials and tools related to the building industry.

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James Vella Clark

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Corporate DispatchPro PROF. NEVILLE CALLEJA

COVID-19:

A risk management strategy Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a game changer for many of us. Public health, from being regarded by many of our clinical colleagues within the same Faculty as a ‘Cinderella’ speciality, has been thrusted into the foreground and had to hit the ground running and evolve and fine tune itself as a profession in a continuous and highly responsive manner as the demand increased and the challenges have been morphing at a fast rate.

Indeed, many of the countries whose populist administrations have suppressed the public health profession for so long that it could not manage to get the ear of the political class, are now experiencing major loss of life. Luckily, this was not the case here in Malta.

Whilst the public health profession has had to initially compete with other voices, particularly from the business sector, we have now achieved a fairly universal understanding, even with this sector, and the political class has been indeed listening to our messages.

It is amazing that practically all sectors, including academia, are now rallying around public health supporting to their utmost. It has almost become a challenge to manage all offers for help.

As a result, the now famous baseline reproduction number (the baseline number of persons each case would infect, Ro) of 2.2 that has been consistently observed in most countries around the world, has never been observed here to date as our effective reproduction number (the effective number of persons each case would infect, given the measures in place, Rt) has never risen above 1.5, as already reported elsewhere.

Nonetheless, the tendency of the reproduction number is to spring back to 2.2, so keeping it low requires effort‌ a lot of it. An Rt of 1.5, whilst definitely

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better than 2.2, is not something to rejoice about, as it still leads to thousands of hospitalised people at any point in time and thousands of deaths. The Rt to aim for would be under 1.0 (one person infecting less than one other person), because that means that the epidemic is now on the way down. In effect, when we refer to flattening the curve, we mean effectively pushing the reproduction number from 2.2 to somewhere above 1.0. This means that the same cumulative number of hospitalisations would be reached albeit over a longer period of time, as the limiting factor would only be the population size. In the above scenario, herd immunity would still be achieved but at a massive cost in terms of loss of life.

There is one advantage in flattening the curve in terms of deaths. It is becoming increasingly evident that the mortality rate is a function not only of the nature of the illness but also of a country’s hospital and intensive care capacity. Effectively, when intensive care capacity is exhausted, most patients requiring intensive care would simply overflow into the mortality group. Nonetheless, restricting Rt to below 1.0 would then be effectively chopping off the curve and forcing it to go down before the whole population gets infected. This would be the ideal situation in terms of morbidity and mortality, but not in terms of herd immunity.

However herd immunity can be achieved through vaccination at a later stage, if we can avoid importing any new case till then. Alas as terrible as the onslaught is right now, in many of the continental European countries, it could in reality have been worse had most countries not implemented lock-downs. This also means that herd immunity may not be achieved on the continent either. Once lockdowns are relaxed anywhere in Europe, if relaxed too early, the risk of a second wave would be high. One has to be keep in mind that Europe presents us with a scenario of similar epidemic curves, some flatter than others, and all out of phase in terms of time. For example, the figures observed in the UK were following the same course observed in Italy four weeks earlier.

Where does that leave Malta? I believe you may have already deduced the answer by yourselves. The best scenario for our population would be to suppress Rt to below 1.0 and keep the width and the height of the epidemic curve quite limited.

We then need to make best use of our insularity to keep avoiding imported cases and rekindling the epidemic. So effectively, our population has two Achilles heels that could hinder our success in controlling the epidemic.

The first one is the elderly dependency ratio of our population. Our vulnerable population is rather sizeable in proportion and we therefore have a risk that the infection, if unrestrained, could wreak considerable damage on a larger proportion of our population than observed in other countries. That is why we are also 76

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Corporate DispatchPro implementing, to a massive extent, what the Irish have termed as ‘cocooning’ – which should lead to further protection of the most at risk of morbidity and mortality in the population. That way we can further reduce the burden.The second Achilles heel is our migrant population. We are all aware that some of the migrants in Malta, economic or otherwise, are living in relatively high-density accommodation. Many of them also have a language barrier and struggle even with English. Their employment terms may not be as flexible and resilient as those of the average Maltese.

All these factors make it more difficult for a migrant not only to learn more about the precautions that one should exercise but also to come forward at the slightest hint of a cold to be swabbed and possibly remain in isolation for a number of weeks, with no income. We have tried to produce learning materials in as many languages as possible to try and mitigate the knowledge gap. But this does not address all concerns expressed above.Alas, now we have seen the epidemic gain some ground within the Safi Open Centre. It will not be easy to manage. However, controlling the infection within this group is imperative for two reasons: (a) even if many look young and healthy, there are some who are not and therefore this could be a very material threat to the wellbeing of the members of the community, and (b) active spread through this community is likely to spill into the Maltese resident population threatening our vulnerable and potentially overwhelming our ‘cocooning’ measures.Therefore, I shall end this post with an appeal. Many fellow academics of the University of Malta are heavily involved in NGOs working for the safety and well-being of migrants.The public health effort, especially in migrant communities, needs the assistance of these NGOs to explain and make clear to the migrants themselves why the public health authorities are imposing these restrictions on them and asking them to take swab tests and how this will not only benefit the Maltese population, but also the welfare of their own community within the Safi Open Centre and in other similar communities.

Prof Neville Calleja qualified as a medical doctor in 1999 and proceeded to study Medical Statistics and Public Health after his medical training. He qualified as a specialist in public health medicine in 2006 and was awarded Membership of the Faculty of Public Health in the UK in 2011. In 2013, Neville completed his PhD studies on the statistical correction of misclassification of disease status between self-reported and examined health surveys.

He has been employed at the Directorate for Health Information and Statistics within the Ministry responsible for Health since 2001, taking on its helm in 2007,

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Corporate DispatchPro and also served as Acting Chief Medical Officer during 2014 and 2015. As part of the Chief Medical Officer’s office, Neville has been long involved in the drafting of strategies and the planning of capital projects within the Ministry for Health in Malta.

Prof Calleja has fifteen years of experience lecturing medical statistics, epidemiology and public health to all health care professionals, together with ethical and scientific review of projects at local and international level.

He is also active at European level in the field of Health Information for both the European Commission and WHO (Europe), as chair of the European Health Information Initiative within WHO(Europe). Prior to this, he was the first chair of the Small Countries Health Information Network for WHO(Europe) and he is still an active member of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Systems and Policies in Small States within the Islands and Small States Institute within the University of Malta.

Prof Calleja has been active on a number of collaborative research projects, particularly in the area of health information, funded by the EU Public Health Programme, and also the EU Research Framework Programmes. He has also been in receipt of EUROSTAT grants for development of statistical framework at national level. Within his latest project, JA InfAct, he is leading an exercise which is piloting a WHO-designed peer-review health information system assessment methodology in nine participating countries.

Disclaimer: Opinions and thoughts expressed within this article do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Malta.

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