ESN Malta is shocked to hear that 11 international students residing at the University Residence in Lija have been hospitalized following an outbreak of Covid-19 at the Residence, as was announced by Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci, earlier today, the 30-Apr-2021.

We urge all international students to continue following National Covid-19 guidelines and to remain vigilant. Although national restrictions are easing over the next few weeks and Malta's overall population continues to get vaccinated, we continue to play a very large role in the containment of the virus and limiting its transmission. Students living at the Residence must continue to abide by the strict health and safety protocols imposed by Management and the Health Authorities for their own wellbeing and which have functioned successfully for the past 13 months. We remind students living at the University Residence to restrict their movements within the Residence, to respect social distancing rules, to wear their face masks at all times and to regularly sanitize their hands. Together we can come out of this quarantine safely and healthily.

As the Student Organisation that represents all international students at the University of Malta, ESN Malta would like to reaffirm our commitment towards supporting members of our community during these troubling times. Our team of dedicated volunteers is available to help out in any way possible. Students are encouraged to reach out to us with their questions and concerns or grievances by sending a message to our social media pages or emailing malta@esn.org.

We express our deepest sympathies to our friends who have already been affected by COVID-19, and we wish the 11 individuals a speedy recovery.

Should you need the support of mental health professionals, the University of Malta Counseling Services is ready to assist.