The latest stories:

• Azerbaijani students ‘beaten’ after complaining about quarantine conditions
• South Ossetia goes into quarantine
• Abkhazia to enter state of emergency from Saturday
• In pictures | Tbilisi in a state of emergency
• Azerbaijan arrests opposition activists during Covid-19 outbreak
• Azerbaijan declares ‘special quarantine regime’
• Georgia quarantines Marenuili and Bolnisi
• Georgia declares state of emergency
• Georgian Orthodox Church removes defence of Communion spoon from website
• Workers stranded on offshore oil rigs in Azerbaijan due to COVID-19 

How have you been affected by the coronavirus crisis? We would like to hear from you. Get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, or email at contact@oc-media.org.

That’s it for today, join us again tomorrow for more Coronavirus live updates.

European Commission commits €140 million ($154 million) in assistance to Eastern Partnership countries

The European Commission has announced that it has reallocated €140 million ($154 million) for the ‘most immediate needs’ in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as part of its global response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Azerbaijani President amends implementation protocol for a possible state of emergency

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has made changes to his order from 19 January 2005 titled ‘On enforcement of the law on a state of emergency’. 

Previously the state bodies carrying out a state of emergency were the Interior Ministry, the State Security Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the State Border Service. As of today, that list also includes the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Adygea introduces universal isolation regime 

A universal isolation regime has been introduced in Adygea, the head of the republic, Murat Kumpilov, wrote on Instagram, stating that he had signed a corresponding decree.

Previously, the self-isolation regime concerned only citizens over 65 years of age, now all residents of Adygea should not leave their place of residence, except for an urgent need to get medical care and medicines, food, or to their place of employment.

There are four confirmed COVID-19 cases in the republic.

Armenian Government passes new ‘anti-crisis’ assistance packages 

Armenia’s government approved three new economic assistance packages targeting various groups affected by the spread of the virus.

The packages will provide assistance to citizens who have lost their jobs between 13 March and 30 March, who will receive a lump sum equivalent to the minimum monthly wage,֏ 68,000 ($137). 

Pregnant women who have found themselves in economic hardship will receive a lump sum of ֏ 100,000 ($200). 

Employees of hotels, restaurants, tourism services, hairdressers,  and retail stores will receive 50% of their wages.

So far, the government has ratified eight assistance packages. Four are aimed at assisting the economy, four are social assistance packages.

Armenia’s tourism industry takes a hit

Armenia’s Tourism Committee estimates that Armenia has suffered a ֏ 134 million (near $267,000) financial loss from the fall in tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Committee is considering several proposals to support the industry including co-financing or refinancing loans for companies in the sector.

Hotels that are being used to quarantine citizens are being financed by the state. Hotels can apply to house quarantined citizens so long as they have 50+ rooms and are located in Yerevan, Dilijan or Tsaghkadzor.

Cases increase to six in Stavropol Krai

One more person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Stavropol Krai. There are a total of six confirmed cases in the region, the governor Stavropol Krai, Vladimir Vladimirov, wrote on his Instagram account.

Interior Ministry troops patrol streets in Azerbaijan 

Interior Ministry troops are taking part in patrolling the streets of Baku and Sumgait to toughen the measures of the special quarantine regime, Trend has reported.

Georgia introduces curfew

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has announced that the country is ‘practically’ going into a nationwide quarantine. The new measures will come into force from Tuesday at 08:00, they include a curfew that prohibits movement outside of the home from 21:00-06:00. 

Read more: Georgia introduces curfew

Cases in Kabardino-Balkaria rise to six

COVID-19 infection has officially been confirmed in two more residents of Kabardino-Balkaria. The total number of infected has risen to six, all are currently in isolation. 

These latest COVID-19 patients are officials of the Ministry of Land and Property Relations, who arrived from the UAE in early March, the official telegram channel Coronavirus KBR of the operative headquarters of the republic reports.

Five minibus drivers fined in Georgia for intercity transportation

Georgia’s Interior Ministry has fined five people ₾3,000 ($900) each for intercity transportation of people in the past 24 hours. 

One hundred and four citizens were fined for violating the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.

Thirteen individuals and 6 companies were fined for violating restrictions on economic activities (e.g. operating a non-essential store).

The fine for individuals is ₾3,000 ($900), and ₾15,000 ($4,500) for legal entities.

Second recovery in Krasnodar Krai

The second patient who has recovered from COVID-19 has been discharged from the Infectious Disease Hospital of Krasnodar. Another 14 patients continue their treatment. One woman, who became sick in Krasnodar Krai is undergoing treatment in Moscow at her place of residence.

There are currently 173 people under doctor supervision in hospitals, 50 of them children, the press service of the regional administration reported.

Armenia’s cases rise to 482

Armenia’s Health Minister Arsen Torosyan confirmed that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has risen by 58, bringing the total number to 482.

According to Torosyan, 25 of the people newly diagnosed with the virus were already in quarantine.

Among the new cases, there are also a number of medical professionals who had been in contact with infected patients. 

Two of the cases are individuals who had come from abroad, those they have been in contact with are being identified. 

One soldier is also among the new cases.

There are currently 14 COVID-19 patients in critical condition and one in extremely critical condition. There have been 30 recoveries and three deaths.

Marneuli residents ask for help from the local government

A crowd has been gathered at the Marneuli municipality building since this morning demanding aid from the local government because of increased food prices. 

'The virus will not kill us, hunger will kill us,' Radio Marneuli quoted one of the women as saying. 

The mayor of Marneuli told Radio Marneuli that incorrect information that the city hall would help each Marneuli resident had spread throughout the municipality. The mayor called the protesting residents to go and stay home. 

Marneuli was quarantined on 23 March. Public transport has been stopped and people were prohibited from going out in public, except to buy food and medicine, or to get medical assistance.

Cases in Daghestan rise to 4

Rospotrebnadzor of Daghestan has informed OC Media that three more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the republic. There are now a total of four registered cases of the virus in Daghestan, and 27 suspected cases.

Viral video in Daghestan shows COVID-19 response in action

A video has gone viral in Daghestan showing workers from the Federal Service for Observing the Defence of the Rights of Consumers and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) arriving at a block of flats in Makhachkala, the capital of the republic, to identify everyone who had been in contact with a woman who recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The woman herself is currently hospitalised in isolation at the Center for Infectious Diseases in Makhachkala. 

Video: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Dagestan.

Summary

Welcome to OC Media’s coronavirus live updates for Monday, 30 March. We will be bringing you the latest news on the Covid-19 pandemic from around the Caucasus.

The biggest developments from yesterday:

Chechnya went into lockdown, banning people from leaving their homes except for essential tasks. The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Chechnya also announced that mosques throughout the republic would not host traditional prayers next Friday.

The authorities in Abkhazia introduced a curfew in the eastern Gali (Gal) District from 00:00–06:00. The move comes a day after Abkhazia entered a state of emergency.

Holy Communion went ahead in Georgian Orthodox Churches across Georgia with some social distancing measures put in place. During his sermon at the Sameba Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi Metropolitan Shio Mujiri suggested that the coronavirus pandemic could be a ‘bitter pill’ in response to the normalisation of abortions and ‘sodomy’. 

Georgia also introduced stricter measures in the western Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region, halting public transport and prohibiting people from moving around in cities and towns except when absolutely necessary. 

Check-points are also to be set up at the borders between municipalities. 

Armenia registered 52 more confirmed cases and two more deaths due to the coronavirus.

Read more from yesterday as well as the latest stories:

• Azerbaijani students ‘beaten’ after complaining about quarantine conditions
• South Ossetia goes into quarantine
• Abkhazia to enter state of emergency from Saturday
• In pictures | Tbilisi in a state of emergency
• Azerbaijan arrests opposition activists during Covid-19 outbreak
• Azerbaijan declares ‘special quarantine regime’
• Georgia quarantines Marneuli and Bolnisi
• Georgia declares state of emergency
• Georgian Orthodox Church removes defence of Communion spoon from website
• Workers stranded on offshore oil rigs in Azerbaijan due to COVID-19