Studies in Universities to be Resumed on October 19, in Kindergartens - October 12

Based on the Decision of the Interagency Coordination Council, the education process will be resumed in the auditoriums of higher and vocational education institutions from 19 October, while kindergartens will open for pupils from 12 October. Said changes will not apply to Adjara, where the education process will continue remotely. The corresponding decision was made at today's session of the Interagency Coordination Council, which operates under the leadership of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Furthermore, the education process for primary school students in grades 1 through 6 will resume in the classrooms of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi from 1 October, while the education process will be resumed in full in Gori and Poti.

In addition, considering the epidemiological situation in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, the ban on public and intercity transport remains in force, and restaurants are open only until 22:00. Furthermore, the Interagency Coordination Council advises elderly citizens, especially in Adjara, to refrain from leaving their homes except in cases of urgent necessity.

New recommendations on assessing the recovery status of asymptomatic individuals were also discussed at today's session of the Council. Public healthcare experts say that relevant recommendations have changed around the world. Namely, based on the statements issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, individuals are practically no longer contagious once eight days have passed since the onset of symptoms – the test may give positive results but the ability of the virus to infect other people is minimal or virtually nonexistent. Correspondingly, persons who were tested 12 days ago and are no longer exhibiting any symptoms will be considered to have recovered and will be able to return to normal social life without a repeat test. The aforementioned scheme of granting persons recovered status will be reflected in the guidelines of the Ministry of Healthcare.

As regards symptomatic individuals, the minimum duration of hospitalization until recovery for patients in clinics is 13 days, which means ten days of exhibiting symptoms followed by a three-day asymptomatic period.

During the session of the Council, the Ministry of Healthcare also presented information about the process of treating COVID-infected persons at home. According to the ministry, at the moment up to 800 infected persons are being treated at home under the supervision of a doctor, with more than 600 of them being located in Adjara.

The Interagency Coordination Council once again urges citizens to exercise maximum caution, follow the established recommendations, observe social distancing, and wear face masks, which is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

As of today, 5,552 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in Georgia, of which 2,054 persons have already recovered. Forty-one Georgian citizens have been repatriated from foreign countries for treatment. Thirty-two persons have died.

At this stage, 5,637 persons are in quarantine, 800 citizens are receiving treatment at COVID hotels, while 836 persons are hospitalized under medical observation.

The Parliament of Georgia, headed by Chairman Archil Talakvadze, and the Administration of the President are actively involved in the work carried out by the Interagency Coordination Council, which operates under the leadership of the Prime Minister.