Georgia, Russia temporarily ban travel due to coronavirus
Georgia has also temporarily closed borders with its neighbouring Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
Georgia and Russia will temporarily ban travel from March 16 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Georgian PM's Special Representative in Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze discussed the measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 with former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin at a phone conversation earlier today.
No restrictions will apply to cargo transportation.
Yesterday Georgia also closed borders with neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan for ten days to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Movement will also be temporarily restricted at the Sarpi customs checkpoint that is located in the south-west of Georgia on the border with Turkey. However, Vale and Kartsakhi customs checkpoints will operate as usual.
Moreover, flights will also be suspended between Georgia and Turkey from March 20.
Travellers from Switzerland, Norway and Denmark will have to present a PCR test for the coronavirus while arriving in Georgia, otherwise they will be placed under mandatory 14-day quarantine. Earlier Georgia introduced the same rules for travellers from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Germany, France, Spain and Austria.
Starting today Georgia will close borders with neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan for ten days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia discussed the temporary suspension of movement with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan PM Ali Asadov in telephone conversations yesterday.
Three individuals have tested positive for the new China-born coronavirus in Georgia, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 33. All of the three had contact with foreigners from the countries, which are currently the largest centres of the outbreak.
One Georgian citizen who had tested positive for the new China-born coronavirus in February has been reportedly cured. Medical director of Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital, Marina Ezugbaia stated today that the first individual who had tested positive for COVID-19 back on February 26 after returning from Iran, has now tested negative.
Georgian National Disease Control Centre (NDCD) says that one Czech and one Slovak who traveled in Georgia between March 4 and 9 in a six-member tourist group have recently tested positive for Covid-19 in their countries, and have informed the Georgian NCDC of their status, which ‘shows their high sense of responsibility.’ The NCDC says that while in Georgia the tourists had no symptoms and did not call doctors.
Starting tomorrow mini-buses, so-called ‘marshrutkas’, will not serve passengers in Tbilisi and sport and spa venues will be closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, as the country has had 34 confirmed cases of the respiratory infection since the end of February. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated earlier today that public transport - busses and metro - will continue to work in a regular mode and will be disinfected on a daily basis.
Several new restrictions have been placed on public transport in Tbilisi to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Starting tomorrow, entrance onto buses will be available from the back door only, as the passenger cabin and driver’s area will be separated to keep drivers safe from coronavirus.
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will suspend all flights except to Budapest from the Kutaisi International Airport in the western Georgian town of Kutaisi from March 18 to April 3, 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Georgia.
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will temporarily suspend flights to Austria, France, Germany and Spain from the Kutaisi International Airport in the western Georgian town of Kutaisi, to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. In particular, flights will be suspended from March 16 to April 3, Kutaisi International Airport announced earlier today.