Page 52 - GEORptFeb21

around the globe. People pursue larger homes suitable for remote working in cheaper, less crowded locations. There, they feel less at risk of infection. Charkviani finds a suitable property, tracks down the owners and, if they are willing to sell, posts their contact details online along with a video of the property, the news agency report added, citing him as also saying: “After the pandemic, many people from the city realised they need a village house as shelter, a place where you are always welcome to escape to in case of necessity.
“Before I used to get 150 to 200 messages a day; now I get about 500.” Charkviani said the houses he has discovered have sold for 2,000 Georgian lari ($654) to $17,000.
9.1.7 ​Healthcare sector news
EBRD extends €​25mn loan to private operator Georgian Healthcare Group amid pandemic
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to provide a $25mn loan to LSE-listed Georgian Healthcare Group (GHG), Georgia's largest, integrated healthcare services, pharmacy and medical insurance provider.
The financing was approved as part of the development bank's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,​ ​the EBRD said​.
The loan is to finance GHG's short-term working capital and spending deemed critical amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an official statement from the EBRD, GHG has an important state-aligned role in the fight against the health emergency. The company has adapted six large hospitals to meet needs of virus-infected patients in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
The financing will support the implementation of COVID-19 testing at the country’s most advanced medical laboratory, at Megalab. It is also funded by the EBRD.
The growing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases is putting healthcare systems in Central and Southeast Europe under intense pressure. As cases continue to rise, there are reports of field hospitals being set up and retired medical personnel and students being brought in to make up staff shortfalls.
Europe has again become the global hotspot for the spread of the virus, accounting for 1.7mn of the 3.4mn new cases reported worldwide in the week ending November 3, according to the latest weekly epidemiological report from the World Health Organisation (WHO). That is a 24% week-on-week increase in cases in the continent.
In the emerging Europe region, Czechia continues to report the highest number of new cases relative to the size of its population: 84,305 in the 7-day period, or 7,887 per million of the population. The figure is slightly up on the 81,970 reported in the previous week, when the government announced a partial lockdown and overnight curfew.
Neighbouring Slovakia racked up 16,863 new cases during the week, or 2,488 per million, but Bratislava is hoping its mass testing programme will stem the spread of the virus ​–​ and potentially inspire other countries to follow its lead. All of the Visegrad 4 countries are struggling with a vicious second wave of the pandemic. Poland announced 120,785 new cases in the week to November 3, and new cases soared to a record 24,692 in the next 24 hours, moving the authorities in Warsaw to announce the​ ​closure of the remainder of schools, as well as most retail and cultural facilities​.
The government said that the restrictions were “necessary” or the number of
52​ GEORGIA Country Report​ February 2021 ​ ​www.intellinews.com