Georgian President addresses nation amid declaration of state of emergency
President Salome Zurabishvili called on Georgian citizens to reveal a high level of responsibility and keep social distancing. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said in her address to the nation today that the declaration of the state of emergency aims to counter the coronavirus pandemic.
Based on Article 71 of the Constitution of Georgia, I have declared a State of Emergency on the entire territory of Georgia until April 21. We came out strong from the first wave of #COVID19 but we must be ready for what’s next. We will come out victorious together.
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) March 21, 2020
President Zurabishvili said that today Georgia, together with other countries, is facing a serious challenge. However, to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 among the Georgian population, a nation-wide state of emergency has been declared.
When imposing restrictions, our democratic principles were maximally taken into account and neither freedom of speech nor speech was restricted so that media outlets could smoothly fulfill their obligations and inform the public”, she said.
President Zurabishvili called on Georgian citizens to reveal a high level of responsibility and keep social distancing.
Based on the article 71 of the Georgian constitution, in case of epidemics “the President of Georgia shall, upon recommendation by the Prime Minister, declare a state of emergency across the entire territory of the country or in any part of it, and shall immediately present this decision to Parliament for approval”.
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Georgia declares a state of emergency to prevent the spread of the coronavirus until April 21. Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said at a news briefing today that no more than ten people will be allowed to gather during this time.
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Georgia has confirmed one more new case of COVID-19, increasing the total number of infected individuals to 49. As of today 1,966 individuals are under quarantine in Georgia, while 259 others - under medical observation at hospitals.
With 115 votes in favour and zero against, the parliament of Georgia has approved the declaration of a state of emergency until April 21 aimed to counter the global coronavirus pandemic. Addressing the legislators prior to the voting, President Zurabishvili said that the state of emergency imposes only “essential restrictions, not the extreme ones”.
Georgia has reported five new cases of the coronavirus, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 54. However, this figure includes the first three individuals, who have recovered.