Government lifts more restrictions
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, August 27
Another Inter-Agency coordination council meeting was held on August 26th. After the meeting, council members held a briefing at the government’s administration and introduced the decision about lifting more restrictions. Furthermore, Amiran Gamkrelidze, the Head of NCDC noted at the briefing that Georgia is engaged in negotiations to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the latest decision, quarantine restrictions in Mestia and Lendjeri, which were imposed on August 10th, will be removed on September 2nd. For now, these zones are under intensive testing and as Gamkrelidze stated, epidemiological studies will proceed after the quarantine restrictions are lifted.
Due to the pandemic, the education process in Georgia was conducted remotely. During the briefing, it was stated that schools and kindergartens will be opened gradually. The decision was made following international practice, which shows that a gradual approach is vital for mobility reduction, therefore kindergartens will be opened on October 1st, two weeks after the schools are opened. The government also works on opening universities, however, the specific date is yet undetermined.
A decision to open theatres and cinemas has also been made. Cinemas will start operating from September 15th and two weeks later, from October 1st, theatres will open. These facilities will have to assure that every visitor sits one seat away from each other. Also, in theatre, performances must be conducted without intermissions.
At the council meeting, members discussed the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Gamkrelidze, vaccine production is in its final stages and will likely be approved by late fall. As he started, council members discussed what procedures to undergo to receive a vaccine, which is being produced jointly by Oxford and AstraZeneca.
As of August 26th, 1436 coronavirus cases have been confirmed. 1150 patients have recovered and 19 have died. The last death was reported on August 24th. The patient was an 87-year-old woman, whose health condition was aggravated due to other underlying diseases.
