NEWS

Gov't outlines 6-phase plan to reopen the Georgian economy

Restrictions on economic activity will begin being lifted starting April 27 and if the coronavirus situation does not worsen in the country in three months Georgian the economy will be fully reopened. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Agenda.ge, 24 Apr 2020 - 20:15, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Georgian government has presented a plan to gradually open the economy step-by-step over the next three months.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has outlined six phases today designed to slowly get businesses up and running again, while also monitoring the coronavirus pandemic situation in the country.

Gakharia said that restrictions on economic activity will begin being lifted starting April 27 and if the coronavirus situation does not worsen in the country in three months Georgian the economy will be fully reopened.

Restrictions will be lifted in two-week intervals. There will be six stages of reopening the economy and moving to the next stage will go through only after an analysis of the epidemiological situation in the country.

During the first phase that starts on April 27 the following activities will be allowed:

Driving private cars, including taxis
E-commerce
Delivery services
Open air markets

Second phase - starting May 10

Construction
Construction supervision
Manufacture of building materials
Car wash and auto-service facilities
Computer and home appliance repairs
Functioning of recreation areas

Third phase - starting May 24

Retail and wholesale stores will be opened, apart from malls
Restrictions will be lifted on all types of open markets, all types of production and publishing activities

Fourth phase - starting June 7:

Shopping malls
Restaurants and on-site food facilities
All types of financial services, beauty salons and aesthetic medicine facilities

Fifth phase - starting June 21:

Opening of closed markets, all types of on-site restaurants/catering facilities.

Sixth phase - starting July 5:

Entertainment, sports, recreational, creative activities
Gambling
Hotels
Educational institutions and all other activities

All businesses regardless of category will have to abide by hygiene standards set by the Ministry of Health, including maintains social distancing measures, wearing a mask in closed commercial and other spaces,

Gakharia said that if the pandemic situation worsens the restrictions may be reimplemented.

Click to see Government's anti-crisis economy plan in details.

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