The 24/7 gym in Ta’ Qali and other businesses in the area have been ordered to shut down for three days this week as a security measure ahead of the OSCE ministerial meeting
The gym, which as its name suggests is usually open 24/7, has been told it must halt its operations on Tuesday at 5pm and can only re-open on Friday at 4pm.
Gym director Ryan Theuma told Lovin Malta that while he understands the importance of security measures, this mandatory three-day shutdown is causing a huge financial strain on his business, with the impact estimated to run in the tens of thousands of euro.
He expressed his frustration at the authorities for their reaction when he reached out to them to inquire whether they will mitigate these losses.
“Unfortunately, when we reached out to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, their response was far from helpful,” he said.
“They suggested that we redirect our clients to our other gym locations, an unrealistic and dismissive response that clearly shows a lack of understanding of how our business operates.”
“This situation, particularly given the broader context of recent scandals involving ministers, reinforces the feeling that small businesses in Malta are being overlooked or disregarded unless there is a direct benefit for those in power.”
This week’s OSCE ministerial council at the MFCC will be the largest international government conference ever held in Malta, with over 2,000 people set to attend.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend in what would be his first visit to an EU country since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Should the government compensate the gym?
