Armenia

On 24 September, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Covid-19 situation in the country is worsening.

“Yesterday we had 374 new cases of infection out of 3,913 tests carried out. This is due to the increase in people's mobility. Our position remains the same: we must live with the coronavirus, and a lot depends on the personal responsibility of each of us,” he said.

Pashinyan said that administrative levers should also be strictly applied. An agreement was reached that the inspection bodies and the police will strengthen control over the observance of the established rules. He also pointed out “the red lines,” at the intersection of which the ambulatory capacity will no longer be sufficient.

The country’s Health Minister Arsen Torosyan stated that at the moment about 30% of ordinary and intensive care beds are available. In addition, he noted that of 30 medical institutions in the country, five specialized hospitals and three specialized clinics for newborns and children are currently connected to the struggle.

The Armenian government also approved the 25th event to neutralise the economic consequences of the coronavirus, the goal of which is to support transport companies serving the tourism sector. Under the program, the transport companies would receive compensation for 75% of the unpaid interest since April 1, 2020, which will help them fulfil their loan obligations and protect the property pledged in exchange for a loan. 

In addition, the government approved the proposal to sign a funding agreement between Armenia and the European Commission on Armenia’s fight against Covid-19 worth €30 million. 80% (24 million euros) of it shall be provided as a lump sum—and without any preconditions. After that, the remaining 6 million euros shall be provided as a result of achieving the goals set out in the special preconditions of the aforementioned agreement.

A few days earlier, the Russian authorities stated that they would resume passenger air service with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and South Korea, but not Armenia. However, Armenia’s air traffic continued. The Airmenian Zvartnots International Airport published a list of airlines that will not fly passengers from Armenia without a coronavirus test certificate.

“When traveling aboard the planes of Aircompany Armenia, Aeroflot, Austrian Airlines, Belavia, Fly Dubai, Middle East Airlines, Qatar Airways, S7 Airlines, Sky Up, a PCR test is required," the airport said in a Facebook post. 

The current tally of infected persons in the country stands at 48251 with 945 reported deaths.

Georgia

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that despite the sharp growth of new cases of the coronavirus, Georgia still holds a green state status and is a safe destination for tourists.  

He stated earlier today that the government has no plans to impose any systematic restrictions as the country must go back to a normal way of living and Georgian citizens must learn to live with the coronavirus. In addition, he stated that the country is managing and adapting to the coronavirus and the government has taken all measures to prepare for this stage, which includes the early detection of the virus and effective treatment of infected individuals. Gakharia also noted that 112 service and fever centres around the country are working effectively. He also mentioned that Lugar Lab, which was the only lab that was able to test people for the coronavirus at the early stage of the virus is no longer alone. There are 200 labs now around the country which can do the same job. 

However, the country still reports a steady rise of cases. On 24 September, 259 new cases were reported, 164 of those in the Adjara region only, bringing the total tally to 4399 and 25 reported deaths. To combat this situation, the Georgian government decided that restaurants in Adjara would be closed from 10 PM and that public transport would be completely stopped in the region. 

Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic crisis, the Georgian national currency, the lari, continued to significantly depreciate against the US dollar and the euro. The National Bank of Georgia has set a new exchange rate, based on which the dollar price has become 3.2641 lari  and the euro price 3.8226. The National Bank of Georgia sold $40 million at foreign exchange auction following depreciation of the Georgian lari. In addition, the President of the NBG issued a statement on the current situation. Koba Gvenetadze suggests that after the pandemic and the elections, the GEL exchange rate will return to the “equilibrium mark.”