Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that the government has no plans to declare a state of emergency or implement any other systemic restrictions amid the serious growth of coronavirus cases in Georgia.
He said that the recent surge in the new infections was ‘absolutely expected’ and the government has taken ‘all measures’ to get prepared for a second wave of coronavirus.
Gakharia said that imposing systemic restrictions during the first wave of the virus in the spring was ‘very necessary,’ as Georgia, like most of the countries worldwide, ‘did not even have enough face masks.’
Now, our health system is ready to manage the virus. We have done everything that could be done over the past six months. Now the government is able to manage the increased number of cases to help our people retain their jobs and help the state economy,” Gakharia said.
He stated that the government members will meet with business people in the coming days to evaluate the economic risks of the second wave of coronavirus.
Georgian PM said that declaring a state of emergency in March was reasonable as the country's health system needed to get prepared for the virus. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
We will discuss various mechanisms on how the government may help businesses again and will speak about the responsibility of companies to their employees,” Gakharia said.
He stated that the 112 emergency service is receiving thousands of calls on a daily basis and the calls have been diversified in various call centres.
The shortcomings in terms of the 112 service will be completely eradicated in a week's time,” Gakharia said.
He urged infected individuals who suffer from a mild form of the virus to refrain from demanding hospitalisation, which will allow patients in more serious condition to receive treatment in hospitals.