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Georgian health official: ‘we’re reaping what we sowed’

During his briefing today, Paata Imnadze, the Deputy Head of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) offered southern Georgia’s Bolnisi and Tetritskaro municipalities as examples of what the country was now ‘reaping’ after disregarding their instructions. 

Imnadze said that Georgia’s urban population had ‘closely followed’ their recommendations while those living in rural areas ‘found it difficult to take it seriously’. 

Imnadze referred to the regions after being asked if a jump in the number of new confirmed cases over the last two days was related to Easter celebrations.

‘We have a jump in numbers where, as we know, a week ago, 10 days ago, recommendations issued by us were not followed, including visiting cemeteries and, let's say, celebrations at the table’, Imnadze replied.

Tetritskaro is the latest epicenter of the COVID-19 in Georgia to be put on lockdown. Georgian medical authorities recently confirmed 20 cases in the municipality.

Daghestani muftiate may close more mosques

Shamil Alikhanov, the Chairman of Daghestan’s Muftiate, the traditional representative bodies of Muslims in the region, has warned that they may close specific mosques if people do not stop visiting them during the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Muftiate decided earlier not to invite believers to mosques and to limit religious services to those responsible for holding religious rites and keeping mosques functioning. 

The warning from Alikhanov came after the Muftiate closed down a mosque in Kizlyar following a crowded Friday prayer.

Daghestan is among the regions of Russia’s North Caucasus with the highest confirmed number of cases — 724 including 11 fatalities, according to numbers announced yesterday.

First fatality confirmed in Abkhazia

Abkhazia’s anti-coronavirus operational headquarters announced today that a 95-year-old woman has died of COVID-19 this morning. 

Officials claimed she consented to be hospitalised in Gudauta hospital only 20 April, nine days after being diagnosed. 

Of the other two confirmed cases in Abkhazia, one has already recovered, according to the authorities. 

For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

Welcome to OC Media’s coronavirus live updates for Saturday, 25 April. We will be bringing you the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from around the Caucasus.

The biggest developments from yesterday:

Authorities have put the Khatisopeli, Mushevani, and Vanati villages in Georgia's Bolnisi Municipality under lockdown after 19 local residents, out of 25 confirmed nationwide within the last 24 hours, tested positive for COVID-19 infection, local outlet Marneuli Radio reports.

Deputy Minister of Healthcare Viktor Gasimov said on Friday that around 300 medical workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Azerbaijan. He stated that 65% of them have already recovered. 

The head of Karachay-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov, has announced the first two deaths from the novel coronavirus infection in the republic. The deceased were both elderly, and reportedly had previously been in contact with individuals infected with COVID-19 during a family celebration.

If you appreciate our live updates during this difficult time, please consider supporting our work. Every little bit helps! 

Read more from yesterday as well as the latest stories:

• Azerbaijan opposition party claims nearly a dozen members arrested in last two weeks
• Farmers in Georgia’s Marneuli protest inability to sell crops 
• Police clash with anti-stay-at-home protesters in North Ossetia 
• In pictures | Life under quarantine in Gyumri
• Several churches defy Georgian Patriarchate and close churches to the public
• Georgian social workers forced to pay for taxis to visit domestic abuse victims
• Azerbaijan arrests journalists for ‘violating quarantine’
• Analysis | Georgia follows the Japan trajectory, for now