The island will grind to a halt on Monday with a number of schools and establishments set to close the day after the election result, burning an estimated €20 million hole in the country’s coffers.

It’s quite an impact and we cannot afford to lose anything at the moment

The Monday blues hit the island once every five years when the day after the electoral result is known, as most shops remain closed while party supporters carcade in the streets, causing major traffic jams.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat has repeatedly said throughout the campaign that, if elected, his first act would be “to reassure people” that Monday would be “a day like any other”.

Should he win the election, this might be his first major hurdle as several businesses contacted by The Times said they would be closing for the day.

Economist John Cassar White estimated that this standstill would roughly cost Malta 0.25 per cent of the GDP (the amount of work we produce in a year).

GDP in 2011 was $8.89 billion (€6.82 billion), with an estimate of a day’s GDP roughly put at €20 million.

“It’s quite an impact and we cannot afford to lose anything at the moment.

“But anyone who has been through a Maltese election knows that the day after is always like this,” Mr Cassar White said.

The businesses contacted by The Times would not go into the reason for closing but some felt that whatever they said could be interpreted as taking political sides.

The country’s largest shopping malls – Tigné Point in Sliema, the Embassy in Valletta and Main Street in Paola – will not open on Monday. Large supermarkets, such as Smart, Pavi, Scotts, Chains and Tower, will also be closed all day.

However, there will be no shortage of staple foods.

Golden Harvest bakery will still be making bread. “We’re distributing our bread to all the outlets as usual,” a spokesman said, even though he was not sure whether any shops would be open to receive the deliveries.

Maypole bakery outlets will also be open all day on Monday but only open in the morning on Sunday.

Milk production would be business as usual, a Benna spokesman said. “We are still monitoring the delivery situation and checking with main outlets if they will be open or not. Wherever we can make a delivery we will,” he said, adding that hospitals would all be catered for.

In Valletta, where supporters usually gather for the official swearing-in ceremony, the majority of restaurants often open for lunch will have their shutters down.

“We’ll be back for business on Tuesday,” a staff member of Da Pippo said. Caffe Cordina, one of the oldest tearooms in Valletta, will open on Saturday and Sunday but not Monday.

The Monday blues will also affect the law courts. A number of cases have been put off because police officers will be on duty maintaining law and order.

In Sliema, which tends to be a gathering point for celebrations – either to tease residents or to rejoice with them, depending on which party wins – the situation is similar. Most retail outlets will be closing.

Theresa Bartolo Parnis, Accesorize director, said: “This is not a political decision. Five years ago we closed down and, most likely, we will this time round too.”

Charles Mifsud, general manager at Esprit, said all outlets would be closed on Monday. “Most other retailers are also closing, which is why we took this decision,” he said.

Regular customers will also have to forgo their daily cappuccino at Giorgio’s coffee shop and Tony’s Bar on the Sliema front. However, tired merrymakers, needing to put their feet up, can drop in at Cafe Cuba. “Yes, we’ll be open. It’ll be business as usual for us on Monday,” a staff member said.

We’ll be back for business on Tuesday

It will also be business as usual for St Lucia confectionery in Attard but they will be closing their cafeteria in Rabat “because it’s located right in the middle of the two political party clubs”, the owner explained.

It is not just the eateries that will be closing. If you were planning on using the day to catch up on your reading, make sure you stock up on books in advance. Charles Darmanin, retail coordinator at Agenda Bookshops, confirmed all their outlets will be closed.

Schools will also turn a blind eye to students who do not turn up for the day leaving it up to the parents to decide whether to send their children or not. State and Church schools will be open on Monday, although a couple of independent schools – San Anton and San Andrea – will remain closed.

Some schools said they were still unsure whether their transport would be running as usual, in which case, parents will have to drop off the children.

Minibus Cooperative chairman Manuel Falzon said he would not be issuing a directive to drivers on whether to report for work or not.

He stressed that the cooperative would not force drivers to work. “Because if there is an accident that would be irresponsible,” he said.

He singled out St Joseph School, in Blata l-Bjada as the worst hit.

Sandwiched between the headquarters of both parties, with several of the side streets closed off, traffic at the end of school day would be a nightmare.

He said, however, that parents’ feedback indicated it looked like most would not be sending their children to school.

On a positive note, an Arriva spokesman confirmed that buses would be working as usual and following the normal routes on Monday.