As of 27th March 2020
Greetings to everyone and praying that all of you are free of the virus. Here in Malta the rscj are all safe, though we are all confined indoors, as all the elderly are.
The number of cases is increasing daily, but so far not at an alarming rate and there have to date been no deaths. As in other countries, Malta is in almost total shutdown -- all aged over 65 have to stay home, only pharmacies and places selling food are open, everything else is shut down, except so far for a few factories. Those who can, work from home, but jobs have been lost.
At Tal-Virtú our elderly/sick sisters still have a daily mass since in the seminary (on the same campus) there are one or two priests staying there. For the three of us in Floriana, as for everyone else, we can “attend” mass on television. For me, as for others, this is a time of reflection on our lifestyle and values.
The innate goodness of people is coming out – shopping for the elderly, telephoning those living alone, reduction of rents where a person has lost his/her job, medical staff who do not wish to transmit the virus to their families found accommodation for free or at a very reduced rate. It is heartening to hear similar stories from all over the world.
Let us pray that this crisis will be over soon, and that lessons learnt through it will not be forgotten.