Georgian government lifts majority of Covid-19 restrictions
On 24 February, the Georgian government lifted almost all remaining Covid-19-related restrictions, except for curfew (9 pm-5 am), reported 1TV.
It was decided that the intercity transport will resume on 25 February. Winter resorts will also reopen from 25 February, while the ski lifts from 8 March. The gyms will recommence service from 15 March, while restaurants will resume indoor dining from 1 March in Batumi, except for weekends, while in the rest of Georgia from 8 March. Non-food retail (shopping malls, markets) will reopen on 8 March, including on weekends.
Conferences and training, public and private preschools, museums, and libraries will reopen from 1 March. Higher and vocational schools will be able to resume clinical, practical, laboratory activities and conduct examinations in-person from 1 March, while the educational process in the auditoriums from 15 March. Theatres, sports clubs, professional ensembles will resume rehearsals from 15 March and full activities from 1 April. In addition, citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ukraine, who obtain negative PCR test results, would be allowed to enter Georgia from 1 March.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili noted that the decision was taken by the government considering the relatively stable epidemiological situation in the country. In the past 24 hours, Georgia reported 443 new cases of the virus and 6 deaths, bringing the total tally to 269,438 cases and 3,463 deaths.