Health Official: Stay at Home, or We Won't Be Able to Count the Coffins!

Today, the whole of Georgia is a risk group, we may find ourselves in the same situation as Italy,- said Paata Imnadze, Deputy Head of the National Center for Disease Control.

The health official expressed concerns that if the population does not stay at home and keep social distance, the country will soon be facing a disaster. 

“People should understand that if we do not stay at home, we will not survive and we will have a high number of victims. We all need to understand this,” Imnadze told the Georgian Public Broadcaster.

In relation to the upcoming Easter holiday, Imnadze once again warned parishioners not to attend services in churches.

“I understand that this is our tradition, however, let’s refuse to do it once in order to survive, in order to save the Church. Don’t go to church in order to save our Church!” he said, adding that internal transmission of the infection has already started in the country, which means that now everyone has to be even more careful. 

“We will not be able to count the coffins in Georgia, do we want this? Stay at home!” he said. 

With the joint decision of the Georgian government and the patriarchate, churches will not be closed on Easter night throughout the country. However, both sides emphasized that services will be conducted in accordance with the safety standards. 

"We have decided that the parishioners should come to the church before the start of the curfew (9 PM) and leave the church at 6 AM in the morning after the Easter service," noted Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, the head of the press service of the Patriarchate.

In his words, "This is a very favorable condition that allows the parishioners to fully participate in the Easter service."

By Ana Dumbadze