Gov't to Monitor Implementation of MOH Recommendations at Enterprises

The Government of Georgia is beginning to actively monitor the implementation of the restrictions imposed under the state of emergency and the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Healthcare.

The corresponding decision was discussed today at the session of the Inter-Agency Coordination Council, which was held at the Administration of the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Monitoring will be carried out through the joint and coordinated efforts of the Technical and Construction Supervision Agency under the Ministry of Economy, the Labor Conditions Inspection Department under the Ministry of Healthcare, and municipal departments of supervision. Up to 50 businesses and various other entities will be inspected per day. The level of adherence to labor and health safety regulations will be strictly controlled and sanctions provided for by law will be utilized in case of violations. At the same time, the condition of the companies that have had their right to operate temporarily suspended (though which have already submitted an application on the resumption of operation to the state) will be subject to monitoring as well.

Furthermore, the readiness of the primary healthcare system continues to be actively controlled. The PM is personally involved in the process.

Today, the Council received information concerning the state of the clinics designated as fever centers or earmarked to receive patients infected with the coronavirus in the regions. These clinics were inspected during the last two days by the monitoring group, which was led by the chairman of the Healthcare and Social Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. According to Dimitri Khundadze, as of today, the standards of most of the clinics involved in the program are in line with the current situation, medical personnel has been retrained and has undergone the appropriate training, and the infections are being properly managed. However, according to the position jointly held by everyone, the quality of the implementation of the issued recommendations needs to be further improved.

As the Prime Minister noted, it is important to have absolute readiness to manage mild cases at home. The effectiveness of the so-called fever clinics also plays an important role in this regard.

Furthermore, according to the Council's decision, the process of repatriating Georgian citizens from foreign countries is to continue. To this end, it was decided to add two more flights to the existing flight schedule. The state will bring back citizens from Barcelona on 24 April and from Warsaw on 27 April. Flights will be operated in accordance with the recommendations issued by the World Health Organization and ticket sales will begin two days before the date of the flight. According to Foreign Affairs Minister Davit Zalkaliani, up to 5,000 citizens of Georgia have been repatriated as of today and this process will continue.

The PM responded to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) during the session of the Inter-Agency Coordination Council, which assessed the steps taken by Georgia in terms of ensuring the continuity of the education process as one of the best. PM Gakharia thanked the Ministry of Education and Science and the Public Broadcaster for the successful projects implemented in this area, such as the remote learning model and Teleskola [televised school] and noted that these steps allow the country to avoid declaring a suspension of the academic year.

The epidemiological situation in the country was also discussed during the session. It was noted that 36 persons out of the 188 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Georgia have already recovered. Unfortunately, two persons have died due to multiple concomitants and chronic diseases that were incompatible with life. The Coordination Council offers its condolences to the families of the deceased.

Persons infected with the coronavirus are receiving appropriate treatment. Currently, 5,056 persons are in quarantine and 386 persons are hospitalized under medical observation.

The Interagency Coordination Council continues to hold regular meetings under the leadership of the prime minister in order to take coordinated steps.

The Parliament and the Administration of the President of Georgia are actively involved in the council's work.

Source: Press Service of the Government Administration