On 20 October, Armenia reported 1,234 new Covid-19 infection cases and 10 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 66,694 cases and 1,101 deaths. Azerbaijan reported 584 new cases and 5 deaths, bringing the total tally to 45,879 cases and 635 deaths. Georgia reported 1,194 new cases of Covid-19 and 15 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 19,857 and 158 deaths. 

Although receiving a warning from the World Health Organisation over the implications of Nagorno-Karabakh war on the pandemic (Caucasus Watch reported), the topic of Covid-19 is overshadowed by the event in the media landscapes of the two countries. Georgia is a different story, as the fairy tale of the country’s successful coping strategy for the pandemic turned into a political issue in the eyes of the upcoming elections.

On 19 October, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakhari stated that no new restrictions would be adopted and that the elections would be held despite the country reporting a steady rise of new cases (Caucasus Watch reported). However, twelve local NGOs have urged the government to inform people about the decisions it may make to ensure public safety. The NGOs said that the government should: 1) expand the Crisis Council (created by the government to respond to coronavirus challenges) and allow political parties, NGOs and the public defender to participate in meetings; 2) develop a plan to manage the coronavirus outbreak with various spread rate scenarios; and 3) define the rate and severity of the epidemic and the number of people infected by the coronavirus that would necessitate the declaration of a state of emergency, which would postpone the elections and impose restrictions. The European Parliament already declared that it would not send its requested election observation mission, although the Georgian government promised the safety of the EU observers. 

Some new measures have been adopted in the country in the past days, the most notable being the introduction of police patrols on produce markets. The patrols are to ensure individuals abide by coronavirus guidelines and regulations to prevent the spread of the virus. The Deputy Head of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Paata Imadze stated that the peak stage of the Covid-19 pandemic may arrive around mid-November. “All the necessary measures were taken in a timely manner at the beginning of the outbreak. Since then, we [epidemiologists] have gained experience that now drives our ability to fight the virus; we have learned a lot. We expect COVID-19 to spread further, yet Georgia will no longer be placed under strict lockdown. The pandemic will most likely peak in the middle of November, which means it might not coincide with the flu season (late fall with a peak in winter). This is a big plus for the healthcare system,” he assured.