Armenia

On 4 September, the Armenian parliament passed a set of amendments which ended the state of emergency in the country, but introduced a special regime on how to cope with the pandemic. 

Under the amendments, the authorities may impose quarantine in case of the spread of viral diseases in the country and emergence of an epidemic. It can be introduced in a separate community at the suggestion of the health authorities, the regional governor or the community mayor. Quarantine can also be imposed in part of a town or in a territory, including enterprises and other economic entities. The government can impose quarantines throughout the country, at border checkpoints, as well as in two or more regions. The amendments also provide for the introduction of a special entry and exit regime, a temporary restriction or prohibition of crossing the border. They also call for restricting freedom of movement of citizens and vehicles and introducing isolation and self-isolation. If necessary, stricter restrictions can be established, such as ban on holding and participating in mass and public events. The stricter rules may be applied to legal entities, educational institutions, local and state authorities.

The amendments were dubbed as “controversial” by the parliamentary opposition parties Prosperous and Bright Armenia. Naira Zohrabyan from the Prosperous Armenia party claimed that the amendments contradict articles 39, 61, 77 80 of the Constitution.  She said local governments do not have the right to restrict the rights of citizens. Zohrabyan also said the powers granted to the government by the amendments contradict a constitutional article on protection of the right to private property. The leader of the Bright Armenia opposition party Edmon Marukyan also argued that the amendments were anti-constitutional, saying they do not reflect the requirements of reality and that it supports the development of new problems in the country.

Parallel to the adoption of the amendments, a group of protesters gathered in front of the parliament expressing their wishes to return to Russia. The parliament's deputy speaker Alen Simonyan told the protesters that Georgia isn’t going to open its borders until the nationwide elections end on 31 October and thus transport by land won’t be possible. As for air traffic, Simonyan said that the Russian authorities won’t allow the return of Armenian citizens because of the pandemic in the federation. He added that only three planes from Armenia have flown to Russia, after which flights have been cancelled.

Meanwhile, the visa-free travel regime with China was reinstated. Armenian citizens will be able to travel to China without a visa only if they have certain documents, including a negative coronavirus test that was conducted at a medical facility known by the Chinese embassy in Yerevan; and this test must be taken within three days prior to leaving for China.

The country's Ministry of Health published its expenditures. According to the report, since March almost 11.5 billion drams ($23.6 million) were spent to treat people infected with the novel Covid-19 and o preventive measures against the spread of the disease. The ministry said that more than a quarter of the sum has financed the current expenditures of Armenian hospitals treating COVID-10 patients. Another 2.9 billion drams has been spent on the purchase of medical equipment for those hospitals and medical labs. The ministry has also bought 1.8 billion drams worth of medication as well as protective gear for medical personnel worth 876 million drams. Bonuses paid to Armenian healthcare workers at the frontline of the fight against the pandemic have cost the state an additional 826 million drams.

The current tally of infected persons stands at 44 461 with 891 reported deaths.

Georgia

The country witnessed a rise of Covid-19 cases in the past three days, tallying 28 on 4 September, 20 on 3 September and 38 on 2 September, which was the highest number of new cases in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic. The current tally now stands at 1596 and 19 reported deaths.

Commenting on the 28 new cases from 4 September, the Medical Director of the Tbilisi Infectious Diseases Hospital Marina Ezugbaia said that 12 of those cases were related to the confectionery 'Dona' cluster in Batumi and overall this cluster contributed to 36 confirmed cases. As a preventive measure, 4 night clubs in Batumi have been closed down and fined for violating coronavirus-related safety norms.  

Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that the country’s Health Ministry, the Interior Ministry, municipalities, epidemiologists, and the Ministry of Education must be fully mobilised in order to manage this process with minimal risks in order to cope with the rising numbers. He added that over time face masks, social distancing, and other additions to the Georgian everyday routine have been neglected by the population, but that it won’t delay the opening of the school year.

Despite the rise of cases, Georgia still remains on the EU's list of safe countries. Georgia’s Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that despite the flight restrictions all over the world amid the pandemic, 70 flights are planned in September, out of which 30 are regular flights. However, the country's parliament approved a new law which stated that Georgian citizens traveling to a Schengen country with which Georgia has a visa-free travel regime but who do not possess the necessary documents may be refused to cross the Georgian state border. In addition, if a citizen enables others to abuse the right to asylum in a foreign country, the person would face imprisonment for a term of three to six years.

The Head of the National Disease Control Centre in the country Amiran Gamkrelidze also spoke about Georgia’s plans to purchase a Covid-19 vaccine once it is developed. He said that Georgia has already expressed interest in participating in GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, which seeks to ensure that countries across the world have access to a vaccine when one becomes available. He added that Georgia’s authorities have already ordered vaccines for one-fifth of the population, which is about 700,000 people. Gamkrelidze said that Georgia will sign for the pre-order with GAVI on 18 September and that the government has to pay the first deposit before 8 October. Gamkrelidze said that this sum will guarantee that once the vaccine is approved by the World Health Organization it will be sent to Georgia.