2020-04-14
According to the government's decision, entering or leaving the big cities of Georgia - Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, and Kutaisi - will be prohibited for 10 days starting at 21:00 on 15 April. The measure is aimed at reducing the mobility of citizens in large cities as much as possible, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated during a press conference held at the Administration of the Government.
Exceptions to the prohibition on entering and leaving the big cities of Georgia will also be allowed. Citizens should contact the unified hotline of the government by dialing 144 to obtain more information.
According to the assessment of the head of government, the country has moved on to the stage of full-scale internal transmission of the virus. It is therefore necessary to tighten the measures even further.
"COVID-19 is a global challenge and the worst crisis for each of our citizens, as well as our country's institutions and economy. Unfortunately, today we encountered the first instance of having 30 new cases [of infection] in 24 hours. About 500 people are being tested and we can effectively say that we have entered the stage of full-scale internal transmission in the country. The strict forms of quarantine measures that are on the increase throughout the country on a near-weekly basis confirm this fact. Furthermore, even though we must thank our epidemiologists, scientists, and doctors, no one is able to tell us precisely when the crisis and the spread of the virus will peak. This is not happening only in Georgia - this is a global challenge. Today, it is impossible to predict precisely when the spread of the virus will peak. Of course, given this degree of uncertainty, even more importance and value is placed on every step and action taken by the government," the head of government stated.
According to Giorgi Gakharia, the government will appeal to the president to address the Parliament in the coming days regarding the extension of the state of emergency until 10 May.
The head of government stressed that these are the essential steps that need to be taken in order for the country to move to a new stage of slowing the spread of the virus.
"I would like to call on every citizen - even though these restrictions are a huge inconvenience to our daily lives, as well as to our incomes, economy, business, companies, and jobs, this is an inevitability that we must accept and each and every one of us must treat this with a great deal of responsibility. This amounts to direct personal responsibility toward the community in which we live," Giorgi Gakharia stated.
According to the prime minister, the more precisely the imposed restrictions are observed, the sooner it will be possible to implement the relief plan developed by the government with regard to the economy and businesses. The head of government estimated that the gradual and consistent easing of restrictions will begin mid-May, though if the issued recommendations are not observed, he could not rule out that the lifting of restrictions might be delayed for months.
"The fight against COVID-19 is taking place on two fronts - those pertaining to the health of our citizens and the survival of our economy. Epidemiological risks and the stage during which the recovery of the economy will begin are directly linked. We must all agree that COVID-19 is an event in our lives that we have to put up with and we must get used to working and carrying on with our daily lives while wearing a face mask, as well as gloves; this is something that we must adapt to. Our healthcare system must be ready for the correct and successful management of a certain number of infected people," Giorgi Gakharia stated.
According to the prime minister's assessment, the relatively small number of infected persons in Georgia is due to the fact that certain restrictions on daily life were imposed at an early stage. The head of government believes that this gives Georgia an opportunity to be among the frontrunners when economic recovery begins, and this expectation is based on the predictions of international organizations, among others.
The prime minister also discussed the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the press conference. He noted that Georgia will be the first country to reach an agreement with IMF on the conditions of the extension of the program, which will provide the Georgian economy with an additional $447 million over a period of one year.
Giorgi Gakharia expressed special thanks to the European Union, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the German Development Bank, and the French Development Agency, adding that according to initial negotiations with all these donor organizations, they will support the Georgian economy with an injection of $1.5 billion until the end of the year.
According to the head of government, this constitutes budgetary and targeted assistance that will be directed toward budgetary support, as well as to specific projects.
The prime minister also discussed close cooperation with the financial and banking sectors.
"With the aim of supporting them, we conducted negotiations with the same donor organizations, which additionally expressed readiness to provide the private sector, financial sector, and real sector of Georgia with $1.5 billion in assistance. These funds have already been mobilized by the donor organizations and in case of necessity, our business and financial sector will be able to utilize these funds," the prime minister stated, adding that this process was preceded by three weeks of quite difficult negotiations.
According to Giorgi Gakharia, this is the main base portfolio of crisis assistance, the preliminary agreement on which can be considered to have been reached.
"This allows us to begin the actual work on the post-crisis plan of economic recovery together with the economic team and international and donor organizations. This is a different story, this is a different plan, and of course I am certain that Georgia will be able to attract even more financial resources for post-crisis economic recovery," the prime minister stated.
Press Service of the Government Administration