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“We look forward to seeing the first block train shipment under Maersk’s intercontinental rail (ICR) product help Georgia and this corridor in becoming a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia,” added Danelia.
9.1.3​ Aviation sector news
Georgia to resume Europe flights despite climbing Covid count
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that his government has no plans to declare a state of emergency or implement any other systemic restrictions amid the serious expansion of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Georgia.
The resumption of flights as of November 1 suggests that the loosening of such restrictions is rather on the way.
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA) has released a list of airports where restrictions on regular aviation will be lifted and direct flights will be resumed from November 1.
The GCAA said that restrictions would be lifted on direct regular flights carried out between Tbilisi International Airport and the airports of Doha, Warsaw, Athens, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Milan.
The restrictions will also be lifted on regular flights implemented between Georgia’s Kutaisi international airport and the airports of Katowice, Vilnius and Dortmund.
As stated by Minister of Economy Natia Turanva, Georgian citizens arriving from abroad will no longer have to undergo mandatory quarantine upon returning to their homeland as long as they undergo a PCR test for the virus. "It is the second wave and the number of infected people is increasing daily. Therefore, all risks must be balanced. On the other hand, it is our choice to adapt, to fight the pandemic so as not to restrict business. It is very important for our citizens and visitors," Turanva said.
In the meantime, daily new coronavirus cases in Georgia exceeded 1,100 for a third day in a row. And as many as 15 COVID-19 patients died in the small country of four million on October 20. Daily infection totals were in the dozens until early September, while the Georgian death rate never exceeded more than one patient per day from the outset of the pandemic.
On October 20, 1,186 new cases were detected in Georgia, bringing the country’s total number of infections to date to 19,857.
Most new cases (425) were detected in Tbilisi, followed by Imereti (372). Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on October 31.
Gakharia said that “irresponsible politicians and experts” were spreading false virus information, generating panic.
“Recently some irresponsible politicians and experts have unfortunately been spreading false information to circulate an ungrounded panic among the public, which is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
“Our joint fight has been successful in recent months because it was a consolidated, united battle on several front lines – be it curtailing COVID-19 or rescuing the economy. We continue to fight this battle together with our citizens of course,” Gakharia said.
9.1.4 ​Tourism sector news
Georgia loses $700mn in tourism revenues in Aug-Sep alone
Foreign visitors in Georgia spent only $15.6mn in September, some 95% less than in the same month last year, according to a report released by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG).
Across August and September, Georgia's tourism revenue shrunk by $700mn compared to the same period of last year.
48​ GEORGIA Country Report ​November 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com