15 placed under quarantine for observation in Lung Disease Rehabilitation Centre in Abastumani

15 individuals have been placed under quarantine for two weeks and will be under the supervision of medics while they are tested for the new coronavirus in the Lung Diseases Rehabilitation Centre of Abastumani, a small town in Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti region.

Each patient was placed in an isolated room. Some of them have returned to Georgia from Italy and Iran.  If symptoms of the new coronavirus appear, they will be taken to the Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital”, said Tamaz Jijeishvili, a pulmonologist in the Lung Disease Rehabilitation Centre.

The rehabilitation centre has been provided with special protective outfits for medics.

• Georgian PM says ‘no reason to panic’ as first case of coronavirus reported

The first case of the new coronavirus was detected yesterday in Georgia. The 50-year-old Georgian citizen, who travelled in Iran and came back to the Georgian border via Azerbaijan by taxi, had no contact with people inside the country. He was stopped by Georgian border guards and was immediately transported to quarantine in Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital yesterday.

• One Georgian citizen tests positive for coronavirus, Health Minister says no need to panic

The top recommendations to prevent the spread of the respiratory infection involve refraining from visiting countries which are experiencing an outbreak of the virus. These countries are China, South Korea, Italy and Iran.

It is also recommended to frequently one’s wash hands, use face masks and avoid public gatherings.