Georgia Writes Off COVID Penalties

On September 7 the Georgian parliament approved a decision on amnesty for those who were charged for violating the quarantine regime rules imposed in 2020, the Georgia Online website reports.

The total amount of fines for refusing to wear face masks and breaking quarantine rules and stay-at-home order has reached a sum of $25 million. After the amnesty, more than 245,000 Georgian citizens will be free from criminal and administrative charges and penalties.

The initiative of amnesty for COVID restrictions violations has been offered by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

Currently, the wearing of face masks is a mandatory rule in Georgia, the violation of which is punished with a charge of about $6 for the first appearing in a public place without a mask and $12 for the repetitive case of the same violation. In addition, the Georgian government has restricted the work of the food industry: cafes, restaurants and bars are obliged to be closed after 11:00 PM. Also, all wedding ceremonies, funeral banquets, festivals and other public events are currently prohibited. In several cities including Tbilisi, Rustavi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi and Batumi, public transportation won’t be available until September 13.  

On July 1 Georgia imposed a curfew due to rising cases of COVID-19. There were 566,000 patients in Georgia during the pandemic in total, 7,800 of whom died.