On 23 March, the Georgain government created the StopCov foundation in order for private companies and individuals to be able to make donations in the national currency to help the poor and disadvantaged get through the coronavirus crisis.
The foundation was created on the basis of the stopcov.ge website created by the Georgian government. The site was created to inform the public about the coronavirus and provide information about the measures taken by the government to prevent its spread across the country. Some private actors in the country had already donated to the foundation including the development company M2, the Georgian Football Federation, the spirit manufacturer Sarajishvili, the construction company Dirsi and more. The governmental webpage stopcov.ge would also be available in various languages spoken by ethnic minorities in the country in order to provide necessary information for every citizen in the country.
The Liberty Bank announced that it will transfer 100 million GEL into pensions in advance to citizens of Georgia who are in a high risk group for the coronavirus.
The Georgian Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili also spoke on providing assistance to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). “We have translated… all the recommendations published by the World Health Organisation and Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control [into Abkhaz and Ossetian languages] and we will try to provide more useful information for the population living in the occupied territories. Under the occupation and without direct control it is not easy to implement effective measures in terms of preventing the residents from the virus, but, with the help of our partners, we are ready to help our citizens. Our main priority is to take care of them,” she said.
In the capital of Tbilisi, disinfection works were carried out in crowded areas and open spaces in order to combat the spread of the virus.
Due to the state of emergency in the county (Caucasus Watch reported), the spokesperson for the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Chikovani explained what economic activities were restricted or allowed in the country during this state of affairs in the country. He said that the implementation of major infrastructure projects will not be hindered in the country. The suspension of activities will not concern the retail sale of food, animal feed, animal and plant products, household and hygiene products, veterinary preparations, pesticides and agrochemicals, seed and planting materials; supply of electrical communication, electricity, natural gas, water, gasoline, diesel; sale of medical goods and pharmaceuticals. He added that the restrictions also do not apply to press booths. He also added that restaurants and public food facilities will be able to continue their activities only in case of introducing food delivery services. Chikovani also named places where gathering of more than 10 people is restricted, such as: medical institutions, public institutions, defence forces and penitentiary institutions.
The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) announced that it will sell $40 million at a foreign exchange auction to control the national currency’s changing value against the US dollar. As a result of the last two interventions the NBG has already sold $60 million in total.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said that in the global crisis the lari followed the dynamic of the depreciation of other countries' currencies. “There is a global economic crisis and coronavirus is a global challenge. This situation has hit the economy. National currencies of our neighbouring countries and many other countries have been depreciating. It would be wrong and irresponsible to claim that we will be able to counter this world trend. The only thing we can do is to mitigate the impact of the lari depreciation", she said.
She also stated that two different regimes currently exist in the country. “One is a strict quarantine, which is enforced in the Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities and the lighter regime in the rest of Georgia. I would like to reiterate - not in Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities, but in the rest of Georgia, economic activity continues with no restrictions on businesses, various services, infrastructure projects, construction and many other economic activities. It is just important to follow the rules dictated by epidemiologists,” she stated.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reached 73 in Georgia, with nine people having recovered since the beginning of the outbreak.
