Georgia not to Prolong State of Emergency, Nationwide Curfew

"The Georgian government has decided not to prolong the State of Emergency and nationwide curfew in the country beyond May 22," Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced on May 21. 

"Today, we have 8 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Georgia. 224 people are being treated in the hospital at the same time. Of course, we all understand that after this global pandemic, the challenges are getting even more difficult, but at the same time, we all understand that it is our duty to return our country to normal life slowly, rationally, and very carefully,” Gakharia said at a government meeting this morning. 

"Today, the world is talking openly about the danger of the second wave of COVID-19 and all of this needs to be taken into account during the decision-making process. We must all understand that certain restrictions will be needed in the country once the state of emergency has been lifted. These are the restrictions that are essential in order for us to handle the virus and, carefully but effectively, make the economy work. Our government's main goal and slogan is to use this challenge, this crisis, as an opportunity, first and foremost, to ensure the economic development of the country, and then to achieve success. We must all understand that global competition will be more severe and in this case, our effectiveness is directly related to how well we follow the rules, which will give us the opportunity to hinder the virus and to manage the risks of its development. Therefore, the legislative framework that we need in order to maintain these restrictions and to make them work more effectively is, of course, intended to work outside the state of emergency. We have appealed to the Parliament with this request; the work is ongoing and we hope that there will be certain restrictions that are essential for the healthcare sector," the PM added.

The State of Emergency will end as of the morning of May 23.

By Ana Dumbadze