On 22 January, Azerbaijan’s Education Ministry decided to gradually open the education institution in the country starting from 1 February. 

“From 1 February, the activities of primary education, pre-school, community-based groups will be gradually restored Baku, Sumgayit, Absheron. In large cities, education will be resumed in a manner of 3 times a week, and in other regions 4 and 5 times a week,” stated Azerbaijan’s Education Minister Emin Amrulayev. The minister noted that in the next two weeks, partial restoration of in-person education is expected in V-IX classes, as well as in vocational and universities, but this depends on the number of Covid-19 cases. “The operation of the metro has not been restored yet, and if such a decision is made at the next stage, classes V-IX may be opened. Currently, at least one infection case is recorded per day in all administrative territories. If fewer infection cases are recorded, regions may have a faster opening. In the coming weeks - probably 8-15 February - there may be as many openings as possible, the goal is to return schools to [in-person] education in a sustainable format as much as possible. We do not want to open and close in a hurry,” he further stated. He also added that the kindergartens are expected to open by 15 February. 

The Ministry of Education also revealed the infection rate amongst the teachers and students, as well as the vaccination plans of education personnel. “The number of students, who contracted with Covid-19 so far is 14,758, the number of infected workers is 7,090,” said Amrulayev’s Consultant Rustam Aghayev. He noted that 2,246 students tested positive for the virus in primary schools from September until now, 4,411 students in the 5-9th grades, and 7,525 students in the 10-11th grades. In terms of vaccination, 16,698 teachers in Baku, Sumgayit, Absheron and 32,654 teachers in the other regions of the country (who are over 59 years old) were recommended to be vaccinated. 

The Georgian government announced that its plans to lift Covid-19 restrictions starting from 1 February will, for the most part, be delayed.

Under the new plans, a 21 o’clock nationwide curfew would remain in place until 1 March. Restaurants and other eateries would also remain closed. In Adjara, cafes and restaurants would be allowed to reopen from 1 February with outdoor seating only. Public transport in the city of Tbilisi as well as all intercity public transport would not resume as planned on 1 February, which is now set to restart on 1 March. However, public transport will resume from 1 February in Batumi, Zugdidi, Gori, Poti, and Telavi except on weekends. Winter resorts, including the popular Guraduri and Bakuriani resorts, will also remain closed until 1 March. 

However, some restrictions will be eased on 1 February. Shops and shopping centres in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Rustavi, where they have been closed since December, will reopen but only on weekdays. From 15 February, indoor and open-air markets will reopen nationwide. The government also said they planned to resume regular air connections from February. Retail businesses with 30 or more employees will be obliged to test at least 20% of their employees every two weeks, with the government setting up an online portal for businesses to register for free testing.