Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry President David Xuereb has remarked that businesses believing life will return to ‘normal’ after COVID-19 are “unrealistic,” calling for the business community to adapt to the changes required as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a vlog uploaded to his personal social media, Perit Xuereb urged its members and the business community at large to be realistic in its thinking about returning to life as it was prior to the pandemic.

“I think there is fear out there of how long it will take for normality to come back. Let us be honest that this pandemic and its effect on our businesses will not pass quickly.

“We need to read all that is available from the health authorities, they are doing the right thing by extending the curve to save lives and ensure that all who need medical treatment have access to it.

“This means the impact on our lives and businesses will be long, not short…a good number of months. It is not the time to see when the peak is reached or when the pandemic will finish because I think we will be placing unnecessary pressure on health authorities and the Government...” he said.

He called for people to be honest with themselves, adding that until a functional vaccine is found, the pandemic will remain with us to varying degrees.

“It is the time for everyone to take a reality check and stop and think about what should happen next. We must learn to do things differently. Let us recognise that our lives and our businesses during and after COVID-19 will be different to what it was.

“Let us recognise that the consumer’s behaviour has changed and will continue to change. People will seek out online services more than ever. Let us understand these changes so that we are clever and prepared to address them by updating our businesses to address this reality.

Watch Perit Xuereb’s full commentary below: