[WATCH] Bernard Grech pays tribute to frontliners and victims of COVID-19

Opposition leader pays tribute to frontliners and victims of COVID-19 in new year’s message

Opposition leader Bernard Grech has paid tribute to frontliners for their work during the pandemic in his new year’s message.

Grech said 2020 was an “extraordinary year” not just for Maltese but everyone around the globe.

“We have seen our daily routines, everything that was so obvious to us, turn against us and become the biggest means of transmission for the virus,” he said.

The Nationalist leader expressed solidarity with family members and friends of those who died during 2020. “In these times, being away from those we love seems harder,” Grech said.

Making special reference to coronavirus victims, he said that had the pandemic not existed, the victims would still be with us.

“No matter how old and vulnerable they were, they should still be here with us,” he said.

Grech said the pandemic had not only affected those who died from the virus, but also those who had to quarantine, the economy, people’s livelihoods and businesses. The Opposition leader said the pandemic took its toll on people’s mental health.

Grech went on to thank frontliners like doctors and teachers for making sacrifices and carrying out their duties in the face of a global pandemic.

Thanking journalists, Grech said that if it weren’t for their work, people wouldn’t be informed about the pandemic both in Malta and abroad.

Speaking about the political events which characterized the beginning of 2020, the PN leader hailed civil society’s work in contributing to the resignation of former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

Looking ahead, the PN leader said that with news of the vaccine, the light at the end of the tunnel is looking brighter than ever.

“This doesn’t mean that everything has passed. We need to remain vigilant,” he warned.

 Grech said the next year will be a “renaissance” for Malta and the world alike. “We have to learn from everything that happened, so that it doesn’t happen again... We want to see an upgrade in the country’s infrastructure, in equality legislation and higher standards for the care of our elderly in homes,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of a diversified economy, so when the next big challenge arrives, its impact is not as harsh as the one experienced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“All this must start immediately, and it would be a mistake if we forget the suffering, we had to endure in the last months,” Grech said.