Reintegration Minister says gov’t ‘sparing no efforts’ to assist occupied regions deal with COVID-19 crisis
Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said that as of now, a total of 188 people have been brought from the occupied regions to Tbilisi-controlled territory. Photo: Reintegration Ministry press office
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The number of individuals infected with coronavirus is increasing in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said earlier today.
Reportedly, occupied Abkhazia has confirmed a total of 17 cases of coronavirus, including two recoveries and one death. Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in occupied Tskhinvali region stands at 30.
Minister Tsikhelashvili said that taking into consideration the increasing rate of the infection in both occupied regions ‘all the measures should be taken’ to avoid community transmission of the virus.
Tsikhelashvili said the central government spares no efforts - in the limited capacity caused by the Russian occupation and the closure of crossing-points between the occupied regions and the rest of Georgia - to help the local residents deal with the coronavirus crisis on the ground.
She also added that the newly opened hospital in the village of Rukhi located about a kilometre from Enguri Bridge, which connects Abkhazia with the rest of Georgia, ‘is fully prepared’ to serve patients from the occupied region.
As of now, 188 people have been brought from the occupied regions to Tbilisi-controlled territory amid the coronavirus pandemic. 80 of them are taking medical services at various hospitals free of charge, while others are either in self-isolation or the quarantine zones.
The co-chairs of Geneva International Discussions (GIDs) from the European Union, United Nations and OSCE, Toivo Klaar, Cihan Sultanoglu and Rudolf Michalka remain “fully engaged to help address the challenges” created by the coronavirus pandemic.
A new hospital has opened in the village of Rukhi located about a kilometre from Enguri Bridge, which connects Russia-occupied Abkhazia with the rest of Georgia. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said the new hospital will offer qualitative care to people living on both sides of the occupation line.
Georgia has a total of 626 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 297 recoveries and ten deaths, which the Head of Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital Tengiz Tsertsvadze says is ‘one of the best’ results in Europe. Director of the First University Clinic Levan Ratiani also stated yesterday that ‘this entire mess will end soon but we will have to continue living with this virus’.
The International Crisis Group has published a report on the COVID-19 challenges in six ‘post-Soviet breakaway statelets’, including in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Georgia has reported 26 more recoveries from the coronavirus this morning increasing the total number of recovered patients to 419. Meanwhile, with six new cases of COVID-19 confirmed, the total number of the cases increased to 677.
Russian occupying forces have resumed ‘borderisation’ activities on the territory of the villages of Pakhulani and Saberio, near the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia. The State Security Service of Georgia reported today that the occupying forces are changing the existing barbed wire fences and installing additional illegal installations on the ground.