Georgia to impose general quarantine over coronavirus

Georgia will impose a general quarantine and a nighttime curfew to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the Black Sea nation's prime minister announced Monday. "The dynamics of the growth in new cases (of the COVID-19 disease) is alarming," Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia told a news conference.

"We are declaring a general quarantine as of 8 am (0400 GMT)" on Tuesday, during which people will only be permitted to leave homes for essential shopping, he said. Gakharia said a "curfew from 9 pm to 6 am" will also be imposed nationwide.

The ex-Soviet country of some 3.7 million people has so far reported 100 cases of COVID-19. As of Monday, there were no fatalities, and 18 people have recovered. Other new measures would include a ban on public gatherings of more than three people, and a suspension of public transport, except for taxis.

Body temperature screening check-points will be set up in the streets of all major cities. Georgia's medical authorities have said the country's hospitals are coping with the current scale of the pandemic, but warned of an imminent "exponential increase" in new cases.

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