Washington Times: coronavirus success story – the nation of Georgia
In the interview Tskitishvili says that the main goal of the state is to take care about the health of Georgian people, but also the health of the economy is equally important for the Georgian government. Photo: Washington Times.
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Washington Times has published an article written by Tim Constantine about Georgia’s successful fight against COVID-19.
Constantine interviewed Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister Maya Tskitishvili, who says that there were multiple factors which explains Georgia’s ‘tremendous success’ in this battle for the health of its people.
We have addressed this challenge by taking it seriously from the very beginning. First, it was very early when we made decisions, second was our careful listening to our health care professionals. When communicating with the public, we were quite attentive and very clear and consistent in the corona location”, Tskitishvili told Constantine.
Tskitishvili points out that officials in charge of the government response were very responsible and the Georgian people listened to them.
We have very responsible citizens and with the mutual accord we managed to really stand ready to cope with the virus”, says Tskitishvili.
Tskitishvili also mentions the role of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which has worked hand in hand with Georgia on preparedness training for radiological, nuclear, biological and other threats.
We’ve been feeling help and support from the US for many years, almost 30 years. The training the US Defense Threat Agency provided helped us to be more prepared for the coronavirus. The people they trained are healthcare professionals. They are very well trained and respected. The Lugar Centre, through our national centre for disease control, was trained by the US. (They) were the national frontrunners in the battle against the coronavirus”, says Tskitishvili.
In an interview Tskitishvili says that the main goal of the state is to take care about the health of Georgian people, but also the health of the economy is equally important for the Georgian government.
Constantine writes that Georgia is one of the most beautiful places on earth and its cautious and successful approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic may make it ‘even more attractive in the coming months as people all over the world decide where and when they may feel safe traveling’.
See the full story here.
UNDP Head in Georgia Louisa Vinton says Georgia’s response to the pandemic has undoubtedly saved lives and it will be studied in the future as a best practice. "But here, as everywhere in the world, COVID-19 has also exposed social vulnerabilities and economic imbalances. The UNDP therefore welcomes the resolve of Georgia’s leaders to go beyond ‘business as usual’ to design a recovery plan that builds on the positives and neutralizes the negatives to map out a path to a green, fair and inclusive future”, said Vinton.