Georgia to lift coronavirus lockdown of capital on May 11

Georgia will lift its lockdown of the capital Tbilisi on May 11 and allow shops to reopen next week as part of a gradual easing of coronavirus-related restrictions, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said on Thursday. He told a televised cabinet meeting that a lockdown imposed in another large Georgian city, Rustavi, would be lifted on May 14 and that the ex-Soviet republic of 3.7 million people would reopen to foreign tourists from July 1.

Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, and Kutaisi were locked down on April 15, with bans on entry or exit of vehicles, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Batumi and Kutaisi were taken out of lockdowns last week. Georgia reported 615 cases of coronavirus infections as of Thursday, with nine deaths.