With just five days to go until the deadline to collect your COVID-19 voucher, hundreds of people have yet to receive their voucher and it seems like they never will.

Several individuals reached out to Lovin Malta detailing the hurdles and headaches they’ve gone through as they attempt to obtain their vouchers, all of which have ended up in frustration.

In some cases, individuals have claimed that their vouchers were distributed without MaltaPost checking ID Cards, meaning someone else has managed to cop an extra €100.

“They gave my voucher to somebody else,” a local resident told Lovin Malta. “I’ve been given a piece of paper saying that they’re investigating it but I’m still waiting for a response. It’s been two weeks now and nobody has called back.”

A common problem seems to be the fact that there is no way of telling which voucher belongs to who, which makes it practically impossible to track it if it ends up in someone else’s hands. 

“I have the right to vote, I work here in Malta, I pay taxes like everyone else. I haven’t received my vouchers yet,” an 18-year-old Maltese teenager said.

“I called the helpline three weeks ago asking why I hadn’t received my vouchers yet, they put me in contact with someone who works with Silvio Schembri and they told me that my vouchers were at the post office. I went to the post office and they told me that, without a tracking number, he couldn’t give them to me.”

“He gave me the number for customer care and I’ve been calling them for three weeks. They only answered me once saying they will let me know. They never called me back. I’ve sent a lot of emails and today they told me that my ID card does not match a voucher and that I need to send an email to the support voucher line again.”

“I spent all this time calling them without getting an answer. I’m still waiting. And I guess I won’t receive them. It’s not fair.”

People with expired ID cards are also having issues obtaining vouchers, even if they have been living here and paying tax for a number of years.

“My ID card was due to expire in June 2020, when I contacted the ID department I was told I had to wait for a letter and come in to renew my ID card, that it was being done by town and we live in Żurrieq. In July, we received the letter and went to the new ID card centre on the date and time provided and renewed my card,” said a disgruntled resident.

“During this time we heard about the government vouchers and I waited for mine to be delivered. They never arrived. I called the helpline to be told I wasn’t on the list to receive them.”

In some cases, people who just arrived in Malta have received vouchers, but those who have been here for years haven’t.

“I have been paying taxes for four years here in Malta and haven’t received a voucher. I called them but they said to email and wait.”

“Until now I haven’t received anything but others who just arrived here in Malta did.”

Even someone who has been living in Malta for close to 90 years is somehow deprived of this government benefit.

“My Maltese dad is 89 years old and has not received his vouchers. Why on earth would a Maltese person living in Malta not be eligible? We sent them an email and the response to my dad’s email was that they will look into it. Still haven’t heard anything,” said the daughter of someone who hasn’t received a voucher.