The Georgian Patriarchate has responded to claims of inappropriate action in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, stating there are individuals and media outlets in the country that accuse the church of spreading the coronavirus, as churches remain open and parishioners continue to take communion.
We are doing our utmost to meet the recommendations of the National Disease Control Centre. We, once again, urge people who have health problems to stay home. Distance between the people in the church must be two meters, outside it should be 1.5 meters. We are observing the mandatory distance,” the statement said.
The patriarchate said that priests have been recommended to expand Easter rituals for several days to decrease the number of parishes.
The statement says that it is unclear why some focus on the church while there are many more people on public transport or in supermarkets.
Some people particularly oppose the centuries-old communion practice. The people have no knowledge of the importance of the ritual,” the statement said.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has reached 73 in Georgia, with 10 people having recovered since the beginning of the outbreak.
Two of the 73 are Austrian citizens who have already returned home via a chartered flight.
As of now there are 62 people inside the country infected with the virus.