“Today, by a decision of the government, many economic activities will open and once public transport has become fully operational and restaurants with outdoor seating, trade centres, shopping malls, and all types of markets have opened, it is a fact that all of this will result in increased mobility in the country, which increases the risk of spreading the virus,” Georgian PM stated after the meeting at Government Administration.

Giorgi Gakharia noted that “today, we have 11 new cases of infection; we had 26 yesterday and nine the day before. This was to be expected but we must all understand that we have not defeated the virus. It is impossible to defeat the virus in any country, taken separately. This is a global pandemic.”

“No country, taken as a separate entity, will be able to defeat the virus. This is a global challenge and the victory over it must be celebrated by the entire world, together. Therefore, our main goal is to ensure the effective control of the spread of the virus over time and space. Two new clusters of infection have appeared in the country in the last two days – one in Tbilisi and one in the village of Mareti, in Marneuli,” PM stressed.

The head of the government pointed out that” the goal is to control the spread of the virus in an effective manner and to do so quickly, over both time and geographic space; however, adherence to basic rules is the responsibility of each and every one of us and I would like to call on every single citizen to always wear face masks, especially in public places or while using public transportation.”

“This is of extreme importance. Someone might think that this is no big issue – this is of the utmost importance and this is the civic responsibility that is simple, and can be ensured by all of us,” Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia stated at a briefing that was held upon the conclusion of a session of the Interagency Coordination Council,” PM said.

He also stated that the government is doing everything possible to open the economy and allow people to recover the income that they had prior to COVID-19.

“We are forced to slowly open the economy and we have no desire to go back or to go through further – or recurring – closures or restrictions of the economy,” the prime minister stated.

As Giorgi Gakharia noted, the government is aware of the social assistance that it provides to the citizens who have lost their income.

“This social assistance is not enough, which is why we are doing everything to open the economy and give people the opportunity to restore the income they had prior to COVID-19 – the income that they must bring to their families to restore the standard of living that they had at the beginning of the year. This is our obligation to one another. Therefore, [regarding] the government’s plans for opening the economy and tourism – everything will be done extremely carefully and reasonably. Otherwise, we cannot and will not risk the health of our citizens,” the prime minister noted.

According to Giorgi Gakharia, Georgia will be able to prove to everyone that it managed the crisis effectively and that it was able to adapt, and to strengthen its healthcare system.

“Our main appeal and goal is the following: First, to follow the rules; second, to wear face masks. The Ministry of Healthcare and the government are obligated to do everything – and they will do everything – [to implement] the plan, which is effective, and this plan is to ensure the quick detection of the virus, to treat it quickly, and to swiftly return people to their social circles. This is what we must do,” noted the prime minister.

According to PM, Georgia must be one of the first countries to open for tourists. It is therefore essential to follow the rules.

“We require the help of our citizens to maintain order, wear face masks, maintain social distance, take care of one another and, most importantly, to take care of our country’s economy and believe me, we will emerge even stronger and Georgia will be able to prove to everyone that it managed the crisis effectively, that it was able to adapt to the crisis, to strengthen its healthcare system in order to quickly detect and treat the virus and to swiftly return citizens and guests to economic activity. We must be one of the first countries to open for tourists. For this reason, we must follow the rules,” Giorgi Gakharia stated.