On 27 March, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a EUR 45 million Economic Management and Competitiveness Development Policy Operation package for Georgia. 

The operation aims to support Georgia’s ongoing reforms in areas critical for inclusive economic growth and would also help the country’s efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall goal is to support reforms that can lead to job creation and greater economic inclusion and resilience. The focus is on; improving the efficiency of public resource use; enhancing competitiveness; promoting more competitive markets; diversifying the financial sector; improving teacher deployment and remuneration; and strengthening investment promotion.

The Georgian start-up Doctor Goods with the aid of the German Federal government produced 40,000 medical gowns in a week in order to address the pandemic. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) trained over 200 professionals in the country in order to combat the spread of the virus. “We are proud to support the Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Public Health and the Ministry of Health, and we look forward to continuing to work together to protect the health and safety of the Georgian people,“ read the Facebook post of the US embassy in Georgia.

The General Manager of Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace Fred Smiths stated his readiness to provide the hotel facilities free of charge to individuals identified by the Government of Georgia as being in need of this support. The Marriott International is taking a similar position with a number of their Georgian hotels.

The Head of Georgia’s Air Department of the National Environment Agency Noe Megrelishvili stated that the air pollution in the country has decreased significantly since the outbreak of the crisis. All of the air monitoring stations stationed in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and Rustavi recorded a decreased volume of air pollutants, especially the nitrogen dioxide which is produced by vehicle fuel. However, Megrelishvili added that the share of particle pollution (small particles of dust and soot) in the air is still high. He noted that it is caused by construction and industrial sectors as these sectors have not stopped working despite the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the declared state of emergency in the country, dozens of people gathered in Zugdidi to receive facemasks and hand sanitizer gifted by the former Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili’s Presidential Library. Saakashvili said that his initiative was financed by Georgians living in the US. The United National Movement members stated that the event was organised by the presidential library and not by them.  

The Georgian Social Workers' Union called on the state to place homeless children into 14-day quarantine and to set up alternative care centers for them to be placed in after being given a clean bill of health. The statement read that homeless “street” children sleep in the metro or on buses, where there is a high risk of infection from coronavirus. UNICEF in Georgia also released a statement on the topic, saying children are at heightened risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence amidst intensifying containment measures. The organization said that school closures and movement restrictions are disrupting children's routines and support systems and are also putting pressure on caregivers who may have to stop work.

The current tally of infected persons in Georgia is 81, with 13 individuals already recovered from the virus.