Georgian gov’t announces emergency mode as WHO declares pandemic
Georgia has 24 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with the first case confirmed at the end of February 2020. Photo:crampinini.
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The Georgian government has announced that it is working in an emergency, round-the-clock regime after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of China-born Covid-19 virus a pandemic.
.@WHO is deeply concerned by the alarming levels of the #coronavirus spread, severity & inaction, & expects to see the number of cases, deaths & affected countries climb even higher. Therefore, we made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic. https://t.co/97XSmyigME pic.twitter.com/gSqFm947D8
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 11, 2020
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated earlier today that the emergency mode will help the state, which has 24 confirmed cases of the respiratory infection, to cope with the virus-related challenge more effectively.
We can say that as of now we are able to cope with the challenge. However, we have no right to slow down our efforts or become self-satisfied,” Gakharia said.
Gakharia stated that starting today:
- All responsible state agencies will work round-the-clock to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country. It particularly concerns the Ministry of Health, Interior Ministry, Ministries of Education and Justice, Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Finance.
- All Georgian citizens who will enter the country from Germany, France, Austria and Spain will be placed in mandatory, 14-day quarantine. Foreign nationals entering the country from the states will have to present a document that they had been checked for the virus, otherwise they will be placed under quarantine. Read more here.
- The Interior Ministry and the Health Ministry will work in close coordination to prevent the violation of rules by individuals who are in self-isolation.
- The ministries dealing with economic issues will have to present an economic stimulation plan by the end of the day.
- Gakharia recommended state agencies and private organisations to introduce remote work where it is possible.
The Georgian man who was first who tested positive for Covid-19 on February 26 was checked again at hospital yesterday and he still has the virus. Photo: 1TV.
‘No internal transmission of the virus in Georgia’
Georgian Health officials say that none of the cases reported so far have been cases of internal transmission – that is, when an individual inside the country got infected by another individual who traveled abroad and spread the virus to other people inside the country.
Of the 24 infected two were in Iran, while 22 others either traveled in Italy or had contact with those who traveled in the country.
Among the 24 infected, one is a 12-year-old and he suffers from a mild form of the virus.
The condition of only one infected individual is severe.
The latest case was confirmed yesterday as a 19-year-old, who was in isolation due to the contact with those who traveled in Italy, tested positive.
295 are under quarantine in Georgia as of today, while 49 others remain at hospitals due to suspicious symptoms.
De facto officials of the Russian occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia have announced that the Enguri Bridge crossing point, which connects the occupied region with the rest of the country, will close at 8 p.m. on March 14.
Yet another individual has tested positive for the new China-born coronavirus in Georgia, increasing the total number of infected individuals to 24. Head of the National Disease Control Centre (NCDC) of Georgia Amiran Gamkrelidze reported today that this new case is also connected with Italy.
Two of Georgia's major universities have switched to remote classes and services for their students as a measure for countering a coronavirus threat, with Ilia State University and University of Georgia announcing their decisions.
Georgian Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Iuri Nozadze has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, the ministry confirmed earlier today. Nozadze is among the eight individuals who tested positive for the virus yesterday. The ministry says that Nozadze’s family member tested positive for the virus last week and since that time he has been in isolation.
All foreign nationals who enter Georgia from Germany, France, Austria, Spain, China, Iran, South Korea and Italy will have to present a document confirming that they have been checked for the presence of the Covid-19 virus, otherwise they will be placed under 14-day quarantine in Georgia, PM Giorgi Gakharia stated today, after declaring the government’s emergency mode to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia recommends state agencies and private organisations to work remotely to avoid the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili encourages citizens to be more careful amid the recent coronavirus outbreak in the world, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.