On 19-20 March, the Azerbaijani and Georgian governments undertook further measures in order to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus in their countries.

Azerbaijan 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to allocate 1 billion manat from the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan to finance measures to reduce the negative impact of the virus on the country.

In that regard, 4 additional working groups were created within the government. The first group was tasked to assess the impact of the pandemic on the country’s economy. The second working group was created under the leadership of the finance minister and was tasked with preparing and submitting to the Cabinet of Ministers relevant proposals on state support for economic sectors, legal entities and individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities that may be affected by the pandemic. The third working group, created under the leadership of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, shall submit proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers on social protection of employees and providing them with state support, strengthening employment measures in the short and medium term and strengthening social protection of low-income population. The last working group, created under the leadership of Central Bank chairman, was tasked with assessing the possible negative impact of the pandemic on the banking sector and the macroeconomic environment in the country, and also preparing and submitting proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers on additional measures that should be implemented to maintain macroeconomic stability in the country, support the manat rate and consumer prices.

Aliyev also signed an order which foresses a 3-5-fold bonus in the amount of the monthly salaries of doctors in the country who are participating in measures to combat the virus.

The country’s supreme court recommended that all courts to temporarily postpone the consideration of all pending cases, with the exception of those subject to immediate consideration or not requiring a judicial review procedure. The decision would be in power from 20 March to 20 April.

The holidays in all educational institutions were also prolonged from 29 March 29 to 20 April.  

The number of infected persons in Azerbaijan is at 33.

Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia  announced that all malls would be temporarily closed in the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Only grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, post offices and banks will remain open.

The complete air traffic of the country would also be shut down. Only government-coordinated flights would be carried out by the national flag carrier Georgian Airlines.

Gakharia also spoke over a possibility to introduce a state of emergency in the country. “As of today, I would like to emphasize that there is no such necessity, but in agreement with the President, we have decided that as soon as the need arises, we will be able to make this decision within a few hours,” he said.

Georgia’s Minister of Health Ekaterine Tikaradze stated that all citizens who enter the country would be put under mandatory quarantine. In that regard, additional quarantine spaces were arranged at Larsi, Red Bridge and Sarphi border checkpoints.

Georgian military troops would also be confined to their barracks from 21 March to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

The Georgian parliament moved onto a remote relationship regime with the media in the country. Journalists were prohibited from entering the parliament. Plenary sittings and committee meetings will be traditionally broadcast via the official webpage of the parliament, Facebook page and Second Channel of Georgian Public Broadcaster. 

The total tally of people infected with the virus in the country is currently at 43.