Georgian government allocates 1 mln GEL to respond to new coronavirus
The Ministry of Finance has also been instructed to allocate additional financial resources to the Ministry of Health if necessary. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The Government Reserve Fund has allocated 1 million GEL ($358,358) to the Ministry of Health to respond to the challenge of the new coronavirus in Georgia. The Ministry of Finance has also been instructed to allocate additional financial resources to the Ministry of Health if necessary.
The Georgian Government issued the decree to prevent the spread of the new, China-born coronavirus Covid-19 on January 28, according to which the state agencies are obliged to finance anti-virus measures from their own budget.
The Georgian Government decided to suspend direct flights to Iran a week ago amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Earlier today it was announced the government will actively work with neighbouring countries to bring Georgian citizens from Iran back home. The press office of the Prime Minister said that Georgian citizens coming back to Iran are at Armenian and Azerbaijani borders for now.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has released an official statement earlier today, which reads that special tents have been installed in accordance with modern standards at the checkpoints of the land borders and in all airports of Georgia, where passengers from high-risk countries will be accommodated before being transferred to special facilities.
Passengers coming back from high-risk zone countries will be accommodated in semi-thermal tents instead of waiting rooms. Photo: IPN.
Passengers coming back from high-risk zone countries will be accommodated in semi-thermal tents instead of waiting rooms. Medical staff will be constantly on duty in order to avoid the risk of spreading the new coronavirus”, reports the press office of the MIA.
As of now 19 individuals remain in Tbilisi Hospital of Infectious Disease, with three cases of coronavirus detection.
The samples of another eight individuals at the hospital have been sent to Tbilisi Lugar Lab and the results will become known before the end of the day.
Two-week spring holidays starting today have been announced throughout the country.
Special devices have been installed in Tbilisi airports which thermoscreen all passengers.
More than 97,000 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed around the world, with most cases in China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.
2,900 have died from the respiratory infection, while over 43,000 have recovered.
Head of the National Disease Control Centre (NCDC) has urged media outlets to refrain from ‘making a political scene’ and ‘inappropriately insulting medics’ regarding the coronavirus situation in the country ‘as the issue is not political.'He stated that Mtavari Arkhi and its founder Nika Gvaramia have made ‘ungrounded accusations’ against the NCDC and responsible state agencies, blaming them of ‘being unprepared for the virus and being intransparent.’
Public schools will be closed in Georgia until March 16 as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As of today, three Georgian citizens have tested positive for COVID-19, while 170 others, who have been travelling to countries with high risk of the virus, remain under the quarantine in Georgia.
Georgian citizens are being evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province, where the new coronavirus originated. Turkey has evacuated three Georgian citizens among other passengers, while France has evacuated two. Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has thanked both countries for arranging flights.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said that the healthcare system is ready to efficiently respond to the challenge of the coronavirus if it appears in Georgia.
Officials from the World Health Organisation gave "positive assessment" to Georgia's efforts for preventing a spread of coronavirus outbreak in the country this week.
The government of Georgia has created a website - www.stopcov.ge - to inform the public about the coronavirus and provide information about the measures taken by the government to prevent thr spread of the coronavirus across the country.
Individuals placed in quarantine or self-isolation for two weeks amid the coronavirus outbreak will be compensated by their employers per an order released by Georgia’s Ministry of Health, reports the press office of the Ministry.
Newly appointed US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has met with Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze today and stated that Georgia is dealing very well with the global crisis related to the new coronavirus – Covid-19.
A total of 9 million GEL (about $2.60m/€2.37m) has already been accumulated in the StopCov foundation created on March 23 to help the poor and disadvantaged get through the coronavirus crisis in Georgia.
A total of 2 billion GEL (about $0.60b/€0.55b) has been allocated to assist the Georgian economy in the tough period caused by the coronavirus global crisis, announces Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakhara has called on Georgian citizens to call 112 if they notice a fever or shortness of breathing.
A total of 128,179,715 GEL ($40.9 mln/€37.4 mln) has already been accumulated in the StopCov fund as of now. The funds raised in the StopCoV Fund, which was created on March 23, will be used to overcome the coronavirus crisis.