PM chairs another coordination council meeting
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, April 30
On April 29th, another Inter-agency coordination council meeting led by the Prime Minister was held. The MPs reviewed the process of the first stage of opening the economy and lifting the restriction and consulted further lightening of the regulations, which will be implemented according to the development of the pandemic.
The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Healthcare provided the council with information on the monitoring of the process of compliance with the recommendations and safety regulations of the Ministry of Healthcare in enterprises. According to the ministries, the factories are being inspected actively. Dozens of enterprises, which have satisfied the regulations will continue to operate. During the work process, they will go through periodic inspections and the factories where flaws have been detected were given additional time for eliminating the shortcomings.
The Social and Economic Anti-Crisis Plan unveiled by the Government of Georgia was discussed as well. Each sectoral ministry holds detailed presentations of the current week within the framework of the plan. After the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs will provide the public with detailed information on the provision of targeted social assistance.
At the session, MPs also discussed the situation of grocery and medical supply in the country, which is being coordinated by Environmental Protection and Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili, As he said there is no problem in terms of grocery supply and it is being refilled regularly without deterrence. In addition, it was pointed out that 52 tons of cargo intended for the healthcare sector arrived in Georgia from China at dawn of March 29th, including 40,000 PCR tests, 20,000 antibody tests, as well as personal protective equipment - overalls, gloves, gowns, shoe covers, thermometers, protective goggles, and other medical items.
It was also noted that the process of bringing Georgian citizens back from foreign countries continues. According to Foreign Affairs Minister Davit Zalkaliani, 8 563 citizens have already returned to their homeland on special flights that were carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, while 17 072 of Georgia’s citizens received assistance on-site from Georgian diplomatic representatives. Upcoming flights will be carried out in accordance with the following schedule, as determined by the Coordination Council:
April 30th: Madrid-Tbilisi
May 1st: Vienna-Tbilisi
May 2nd: Prague-Batumi
May 5th: Athens-Tbilisi
May 7th: Amsterdam-Tbilisi
May 9th: Berlin-Tbilisi
At the council meeting, MPs also discussed the epidemiological situation. With the newest data, there are 517 confirmed coronavirus cases in Georgia with 168 recoveries and 6 deaths. Currently, 5,153 persons are in quarantine and 549 persons are hospitalised 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 of Georgia, headed by Chairman Archil Talakvadze, and the Administration of the President are actively involved in the council's work.
