The government of Georgia has decided to further tighten restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

Following the Inter-Agency Coordination Council meeting on Monday, the Prime Minister’s Spokesperson, Irakli Chikovani, said that all intercity traffic, including passenger travel by rail, would be restricted in the country.

“Additional decisions have been made at the Coordination Council and this implies restrictions on intercity traffic in Georgia. You know that the country has already reached the stage of internal spread of the virus and we should do our best to stop the speed of the process. Therefore, we restrict all intercity traffic, including passenger travel by rail,” Irakli Chikovani said.

The number of cases of coronavirus infection has increased to 73 in Georgia, the government-run website stopcov.ge reports.

4055 people are in quarantine and 252 are under inpatient care.

9 out of 73 people have already recovered.

The government bans social events that involve gatherings of more than 10 individuals, such as funeral feasts, weddings, etc. The above is said in the resolution of the Government of Georgia.

According to the official document, the state of emergency shall also prohibit the freedom of assembly and/or demonstration.

However, the restrictions do not apply to: medical institutions, public institutions, defense forces, special penitentiary institutions, law enforcement agencies; public transport; construction sites.

The government has made an additional decision to restrict intercity traffic in Georgia.

Following the the Inter-Agency Coordination Council meeting, the Prime Minister’s Spokesperson, Irakli Chikovani, said that all intercity traffic, including passenger travel by rail, would be restricted.

“Additional decisions have been made at the Coordination Council and this implies restrictions on intercity traffic in Georgia. You know that the country has already reached the stage of internal spread of the virus and we should do our best to stop the speed of the process. Therefore, we restrict all intercity traffic, including passenger travel by rail, and this restriction will come into force at the end of the day,” Irakli Chikovani said.

The Georgian government has imposed a strict quarantine regime in Bolnisi and Marneuli municipalities in a bid to prevent the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia said at a briefing today.

According to him, travel has been banned in and out of the two municipalities as of today. He said all businesses are closed except of critical infrastructure, including grocery stores and drug stores.

“Travel will be banned in and out of Bolnisi and Marneuli municipalities as of today. All businesses are closed except of critical infrastructure, including grocery stores and drug stores,” the Prime Minister said adding that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will protect the public order and enforce the State of Emergency regime declared by the government in the country.

The government has made the decision after a middle-aged woman from Marneuli municipality tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Reportedly, the woman, who is in a critical condition, has contacted with tens of people.

The President of Georgia has officially declared the state of emergency throughout the country. Salome Zourabichvili made the respective statement at a special briefing a few minutes ago.

“I am making a decision and declaring a state of emergency throughout Georgia,” the President said.

The state of emergency will be maintained until April 21.

The Government has addressed the President with the proposal to declare a state of emergency in connection with the new coronavirus situation.

Along with coronavirus, Georgia has had an outbreak of something the country hasn’t had in years: public confidence in the government.

Nearly a month after COVID-19 first arrived in Georgia, the number of confirmed cases had reached only 44 by March 20, with no fatalities.

To many observers, even long-time critics, this is evidence that the government is doing something right: stepping back and letting the health professionals take control.

“The immediate countermeasures to contain the outbreak of [the novel coronavirus] have been very timely and adequate,” Nino Giguashvili, a Georgian public health expert based in Prague, told Eurasianet. “In fact, Georgia was among the first countries in Europe to undertake effective measures.”

VIRUS SPREAD

As the virus spread, Georgia moved fast to suspend direct flights with emerging hot spots, profiled and quarantined travelers arriving from abroad, and conducted a public awareness campaign of unprecedented size – all well before most of Europe began switching to safe mode. Schools were closed and targeted lockdowns put in place when Georgia had only three confirmed cases.

By the time epidemic broke out in nearby Iran in mid-February, proactive border checks, which included temperature tests and reviews of travel history, were already well in progress in Georgia. Thus, Georgia was able to detect the first carrier of the virus, a Georgian man returning from Iran, on February 26, directly on the land border with Azerbaijan. He was swiftly isolated along with his fellow travelers and others with whom he had had contact on the Georgian side. The border was immediately closed to Iranian visitors, while Georgian citizens returning from Iran were quarantined and tested for coronavirus.

In the following days, hundreds of arrivals from hard-hit countries and people with whom they had interacted were quarantined either in state-run facilities or at home.

As the center of gravity for the pandemic shifted from Asia to Europe, Italy became Georgia’s primary source of the virus. A few infected arrivals from Italy slipped through Georgia’s defenses at the border, but the authorities appeared to have successfully identified and isolated these individuals’ contacts before the contagion could metastasize

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has reached 43 in Georgia. The respective information is posted on the special website created by the government – stopcov.ge.

According to the website, 1 575 people in quarantine and 275 are in inpatient care.

1 out of 43 people has already recovered.

All trading facilities except for grocery stores, pharmacy shops, banks, posts and petrol stations will be closed, – the Prime Minister stated after the National Security Council session.

According to the Prime Minister, several decisions were made at the session to tighten measures against the spread of coronavirus.

“All trading facilities except for grocery stores, pharmacy shops, banks, posts and petrol stations will be closed in order to observe social distance and restrict mobility. This is a necessary step for the health of our citizens. This is necessary to halt domestic spreading of the virus”, the PM said.

Members of the Cabinet of Ministers, President Salome Zourabichvili and Speaker Parliament of Georgia Archil Talakvadze attended the session chaired by Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Deputy Head of the Georgian National Disease Control Centre Paata Imnadze calls on the population to refrain from going out and to stay home.

When asked whether the municipal transport means pose threat to the people’s health, Imnadze replied : “stay home!”

According to the latest data, there are 38 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Georgia.

Georgia has banned entry to all foreign nationals from 00:00 today for the next two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Irakli Chikovani, Georgian Prime Minister’s spokesperson announced at a briefing on March 16, that Georgian citizens willing to return to their country would have an opportunity to travel via special flights carried out by the Georgian Airways.