World Bank approves €45 mln to support economic reforms, mitigate impact of COVID-19 in Georgia

Top state officials from the UK and Spain have expressed their gratitude to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili for her words of solidarity in these hard times due to the coronavirus. 

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has trained over 200 professionals in Georgia to strengthen the fight against COVID-19, announces the US Embassy in Georgia.

Thirteen individuals have recovered from coronavirus in Georgia. Since February 26, 2020 Georgia has had 81 confirmed cases of the virus.  Two were foreign citizens who left the country earlier this month via a charter flight. As of now there are 66 patients in the country infected with the virus, including several minors.  The health condition of all minors is stable. 

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has praised the Georgian government for its ‘proactive steps’ to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus. “These are challenging times, and we are all trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy. We at the U.S. Embassy are particularly grateful for the pro-active efforts of the government of Georgia, including the NCDC, the PM, the president, almost every ministry, and parliament, doing their best to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus and minimize its impacts”, she said. 

EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that when the coronavirus is ‘turning the world upside down’ he ‘cannot think of a better place to be right now than here in Georgia.’Hartzell states that there are no easy answers regarding COVID-19 and that the EU is suffering much from the virus.“Just look at the pictures coming out of Spain and Italy these days. In this context I would like to congratulate the Georgian government and the Georgian politicians for doing what all evidence suggest is the right approach – to act early and to act robustly,” Hartzell said. 

The United States Government is providing $1.1 million assistance to Georgia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, support technical experts for response and preparedness, bolster risk communication and more

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is working with the Georgian authorities to provide 'additional financing' to contain the spread of the coronavirus and support the Georgian people and economy, announced the Mission Chief for Georgia at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mercedes Vera-Martin in a statement published on March 30.

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.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is pledging financing to help firms in Georgia deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, announces the EBRD.

The European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Varhelyi has confirmed to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia during a video conversation today that the EU “continues to stand by partners in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak”, as part of its global response to the pandemic. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised the steps of the Georgian government to support its citizens and the private sector amid the coronavirus pandemic. The IMF is allocating financial support for Georgia in the framework of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme to minimize the coronavirus’ impact on the Georgian economy.

The government of Georgia has created an anti-crisis economic group as part of the Interagency Council to better manage the coronavirus’ impact on the Georgian economy, announces the Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

The European Union, Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, German Development Fund, French Development Agency will support the Georgian economy with $1.5 billion by the end of 2020, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia today.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) are increasing the availability of the Georgian national currency, the lari (GEL), to private companies in a joint move to support businesses suffering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, announces the EBRD.

The Georgian Football Federation will receive €4.3 million from UEFA to overcome the financial impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to Georgia UEFA is helping all its 55 member associations. For this reason UEFA has allocated €236.5 million which will be distributed to the national associations to cover running costs and to help develop targeted areas of domestic football. 

The United States government has committed an additional $1 million in new USAID funding to support Georgia’s response to coronavirus. The US government has committed a total of $2.7 million to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia.

A total of 1,000 villages in Georgia will receive better internet connectivity as the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved €35.7 million to support the country’s digital transformation. The project aims to connect people, enterprises and institutions across rural Georgia to high-quality, affordable broadband internet and promote the use of digital services.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde discussed the country's national vaccination plan as well as their 'efficient and effective cooperation' at a video conference earlier today.