2020-03-23
By decision of the government, intercity traffic is to be prohibited throughout all of Georgia starting at 00:00 on 24 March, within the framework of the state of emergency in place throughout the entire country. The aforementioned prohibition does not apply to light vehicles and internal city traffic.
The movement of intercity passenger trains will also be prohibited starting at 00:00 on 24 March. The restriction does not apply to freight components.
The government made the aforementioned decisions during the session of the Interagency Coordination Council, which took place at the Administration of the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia today.
The enforcement of quarantine measures in Marneuli and Bolnisi Municipalities was also discussed during the session. It was noted that the relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense are in full control of the situation, and that the state of affairs in the region is calm.
The prime minister instructed the minister of environmental protection and agriculture and the minister of economy and sustainable development to personally oversee the situation to ensure that there are no delays in terms of food supplies in the municipalities, as well as in the provision of foodstuffs, pharmaceutical products, and banking services to the region.
Sozar Subari, the prime minister's advisor for regional development issues, noted that public transport is prohibited and vehicular traffic is restricted in the municipalities, though the population will face no problems with regard to carrying out agricultural work.
Additionally, the local authorities are in active communication with the populations of Bolnisi and Marneuli, and this process is being coordinated by Prime Ministerial Advisor Sozar Subari. The local population is being provided with information on quarantine rules and the decisions made by the government in the languages used by ethnic minorities as well, in order to maximize access to information.
As per the prime minister's instructions, the Ministries of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Economy and Sustainable Development will compile a list of production plants which will continue to operate without interruption despite the quarantine. The recommendations issued by the Ministry of Healthcare must be carefully followed in terms of the employees' transportation and labor in the manufacturing plants that will continue to operate, and the process will take place in full coordination with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The positive development, whereby eight out of the 54 patients that were infected with the coronavirus have already been cured, and specialists are awaiting negative test results for another three patients in the next few hours, was also noted during today's session of the Interagency Council. According to the data of the National Center for Disease Control, the health status of the majority of the infected patients is satisfactory, with three patients being in a relatively severe condition, and one patient being in critical condition. All of them are receiving appropriate treatment. At the moment, 3,320 persons are in quarantine and 236 persons are hospitalized under medical supervision.
The Interagency Coordination Council continues to hold regular sessions, under the leadership of the prime minister, in order to take coordinated steps.
The administration of the president of Georgia and the relevant parliamentary committee are actively involved in the council's work.
Press Service of the Government Administration