Curfew to Be Lifted for 2 Days in Georgia for Uninterrupted Flow of Election Run-offs

Taking into account the second round of voting scheduled within the parliamentary elections of Georgia on November 21, and with the aim of ensuring the uninterrupted flow of the election process, as applicable procedures will need to be carried out after closing the precincts, mobility restriction will be lifted today and tomorrow, November 20 and 21, to allow movement from 22:00 to 05:00 as an exceptional measure.

This decision was made by the Inter-Agency Coordination Council led by the Prime Minister of Georgia at a meeting today. An applicable amendment has been duly made to the respective Government Decree. The suspended restriction will be resumed from 22:00 on November 22.

The Council discussed the issue of epidemic safety protection rules at polling stations and it has been noted that safety standards during the pandemic will be adhered to at all 17 precincts on November 21, as it was the case on October 31.

Council members spoke about the current epidemic situation and precision-targeted restrictions, the rising trend of COVID infected people throughout the world. It was noted that irrespective of the increasing numbers, the country is maintaining the strategy of precision-targeted and localized approaches with no intent of systemic restrictions.

The focus was also made at the Council meeting on the steps made by the Government of Georgia to avoid the overburdening of the hospital sector. The Minister of Health shared information with the Council members about the home treatment and situation observed at COVID Hotels and hospitals. Head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) spoke about the testing process flow and noted that in parallel with the PCR tests, antigen-based tests are also actively used in parallel to diagnose the ravaging viral infection.

The Council once again underlined the need to wear facemasks and keep social distance, which is one of the best means for the prevention of viral spread.

As of today, 96,860 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 exist in Georgia, of which 77,932 individuals recovered and 894 died.

Currently, 2226 individuals are in quarantine, 3411 - at COVID Hotels and 5879 - at hospitals under medical supervision.