As of today, we can say that the initial response in Mestia has been quite effective, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated in his comment on the epidemiological situation in Mestia, during today’s meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council.

According to the Head of Government, the Interior Ministry has ensured and enforced the movement restrictions which the Government was forced to introduce.

These restrictions cause discomfort to the local population and visiting guests alike, the Prime Minister pointed out, but the health of citizens is the supreme value.

“We must have curbed an outbreak in Mestia just on time, though we have yet to get a full picture. As far as I know, 1,000 test samples have been brought back with results yet to come in. In any case, we already have 14 new cases beyond these 1,000 samples. The results of these 1,000 samples will be known later today, so we will see a full picture of the situation in Svaneti. As of now, we can say that the initial rapid response in Mestia has been quite effective. The Interior Ministry has ensured and enforced the movement restrictions which we were forced to introduce, even though we understand that these restrictions cause serious discomfort to the local population and visiting guests alike. But we all must remember that the health of citizens is the supreme value. We have said repeatedly that the virus is still here, and we must be extra cautious and vigilant to build on the success achieved so far. That is imperative now. Without effective virus risk management, no economic revival is possible. These two are interconnected issues,” Giorgi Gakharia stated.

According to the Head of Government, 919 citizens were transported from Svaneti to quarantine zones yesterday. The Prime Minister urged relevant agencies to ensure effective management at quarantine areas.