On 15 April, the Georgian government and the Patriarchate reached a deal that the traditional Easter service on Saturday night will be held with police supervision despite the current curfew.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson Irakli Chikovani announced at a briefing that the churches would remain open, but will maintain social distancing "to protect the health and lives" of the worshippers. “The believers will have to arrive at churches before the curfew at 9 PM and leave the territory at 6 AM on Easter night,” added Archpriest Andria Jaghmaidze, Head of Press Center of Patriarchate in relation to the measures.
Within the framework of the state of emergency, restrictions on visiting cemeteries in Georgian cities will also be imposed for 10 days from 17 April. “Traditionally, the day after Easter, Georgians bring food and wine to cemeteries and feast near the graves of their loved ones. Georgians usually light a candle at the gravestone and roll the red eggs across the grave. The cracking of eggs symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. However, it seems that this year, the above tradition will be restricted due to the fears of spreading coronavirus,” said Chikovani. He also warned that Georgia is entering its peak phase of the Covid-19 pandemic as its has entered the stage of full-scale internal transmissions of the virus.
However, the decision sparked controversies between health officials and clergy. The Deputy Head of the National Center for Disease Control Paata Imnadze warned parishioners not to attend services in churches ahead of the Easter holidays. “We will not be able to count the coffins in Georgia; do we want this? Stay at home!” he said. Georgian Archbishop Jacob replied to this statement, “[i] respect Paata Imnadze, but he should better count how many infected patients we have. Do you want to focus on the Church alone?! We don’t even have real data on the number of infected patients in the country! Ask the doctors about it,” he said.
The Georgian government also extended the shutdown on regular air traffic until 10 May. The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency said that the decision to relaunch regular air traffic will be made following the recommendations of the health agencies.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) stated that it would allocate €200 million package for development of healthcare infrastructure in Georgia, as well as supporting its fiscal and other needs amid the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the Georgian government created an anti-crisis economic group as part of the Interagency Council to better manage the coronavirus’ impact on the Georgian economy.
An innovative application called ‘Stop Covid’ has been created in the country to help stem the further spread of Covid-19. The application aims to combat the virus by informing people if they have been in contact with a COVID-19 infected person. The application does not require registration or personal information. It gives its consumer a unique ID, through which it identifies a person's social contacts.
The current tally of infected persons in Georgia stands at 336, with 3 reported deaths.
