Opposition mayoral candidate Ugulava to be fined for breaking quarantine rules

Politician Gigi Ugulava, the United National Movement’s mayoral candidate for the port city of Poti, will be fined for breaking quarantine rules.

• UNM, three other parties nominate ex-Tbilisi mayor Ugulava for Poti mayor

Ugulava, who tested positive for COVID-19 on October 7, attended the UNM rally yesterday, delivering a speech without wearing a face mask.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said earlier today that Ugulava ‘broke quarantine rules and will definitely be fined for it’.

• UNM rally in central Tbilisi demanding ex-president Saakashvili’s release end

As stated in Georgia’s quarantine and isolation rules, an asymptomatic coronavirus patient may be released from mandatory quarantine 10 days after testing positive. However, Ugulava left quarantine on the eighth day of confirmation.

While delivering his speech at the mass meeting yesterday, Ugulava stated that his doctor cleared him to attend the rally. 

Later that day, the UNM mayoral candidate posted on his personal Facebook account, explaining why he left quarantine prematurely: ‘I no longer have symptoms, nor am I contagious. A rapid test returned a negative result, and after consulting with the doctor, I decided to attend the rally,’ he wrote.

Vice speaker of the Parliament and former health minister, Davit Sergeenko, responded to Ugulava’s actions, asserting that ‘everyone is equal before the law’.

One should not sacrifice people’s health for politics and appearances … Until your isolation period ends, you should not put people around you at risk. I cannot justify this behaviour by any means, - Sergeenko added.

Ugulava is set to participate in the runoff mayoral elections in Poti against the ruling Georgian Dream candidate Beka Vacharadze. The runoffs will be held on October 30.