On 14 April, the Georgian government decided to impose a lockdown on the cities of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi and Kutaisi for 10 days in order to reduce the mobility of the citizens and halt the spread of the coronavirus in the country. 

In addition, a special regime and strict quarantine restrictions were introduced in Khidiskhuri village of Khashuri Municipality. The citizens will only be able to leave their homes in order to purchase food and medicine, or to receive medical services. Local residents will be able to carry out agricultural work in compliance with the special protocol.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that the country has moved on to the stage of full-scale internal transmission of the virus and that it was therefore necessary to tighten the measures even further. “COVID-19 is a global challenge and the worst crisis for each of our citizens, as well as our country's institutions and economy. Unfortunately, today we encountered the first instance of having 30 new cases [of infection] in 24 hours. About 500 people are being tested and we can effectively say that we have entered the stage of full-scale internal transmission in the country. The strict forms of quarantine measures that are [being put into place] throughout the country on a near-weekly basis confirm this fact. Today, it is impossible to predict precisely when the spread of the virus will peak. Of course, given this degree of uncertainty, even more importance and value is placed on every step and action taken by the government,” he stated. He added that the government would appeal to the President to address Parliament in the coming days regarding the extension of the state of emergency in the country until 10 May. 

Gakharia estimated that the gradual and consistent easing of restrictions would begin mid-May. However, if the issued recommendations are not observed, he could not rule out that lifting restrictions might be delayed for months. According to him, the relatively small number of infected persons in Georgia was due to the fact that certain restrictions on daily life were imposed at an early stage. He believes that this would give Georgia an opportunity to be among the frontrunners when economic recovery begins, and this expectation is based on the predictions of international organizations, among others.

He also spoke about the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and noted that Georgia will be the first country to reach an agreement with IMF on the conditions of the extension of the program, which will provide the Georgian economy with an additional $447 million over a period of one year. Gakharia expressed special thanks to the European Union, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the German Development Bank, and the French Development Agency, adding that according to initial negotiations with all these donor organizations, they would support the Georgian economy with an injection of $1.5 billion until the end of the year. 

Commenting on the information released by the IMF which said that the Georgian government would finance those who lost their jobs by 150 lari, Gakharia said that the social assistance would be more than just 150 lari and that the IMF published an older report due to an technical error.

Gakharia also commented on the Church’s activities during the country, specifically on the services for the upcoming Orthodox Easter. He said that the churches in the country would not be closed. "I personally hope our citizens will show their wisdom. Why? Because enforcing the law and protecting public health is a direct obligation of the State, just like, for many of our respected believer citizens it is an existential issue to not close the Church and keep it functioning,” he said. However, he encouraged the Georgian citizens to stay home and not “force the Church to make a choice.”

The current tally of infected persons in Georgia stands at 306, with 3 reported deaths.