ADB allocates $2.5 mln to support Georgia amid pandemic

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2.5 million grant to support Georgia’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The aim of the grant is to increase laboratory and diagnostic testing capacity and to provide personal protective equipment and general medical equipment required for Georgia’s COVID-19 response.

Georgia’s health system has been under extraordinary pressure due to the accelerated spread of COVID-19 in the past months,” said ADB’s Country Director for Georgia Shane Rosenthal. 

This grant will help to strengthen Georgia’s immediate response, and is part of ADB’s ongoing assistance to support Georgia’s health system, social protection and the livelihood of its communities,” he noted.

The grant complements ADB’s comprehensive package of support to help Georgia manage the fallout from COVID-19. Back in May, ADB approved a $100 million loan to help contain the spread of the disease, mitigate the impact on businesses, and protect the livelihoods of the most vulnerable, including women and children.

Moreover, last month the bank approved a $200 million policy-based loan to support Georgia’s recovery from the coronavirus disease pandemic, launching a fiscal resilience and social protection support programme.

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The grant is allocated under the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project financed from ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) with a contribution by the government of Japan.