28 March 2020, 12:06
Analysts explain difference of coronavirus spread in Georgia and Armenia
The number of coronavirus cases has reached 329 in Armenia and 83 in Georgia. The significant difference in the number of infected people is explained by the fact that Tbilisi took preventive measures against the epidemic earlier than Yerevan. However, such a gap in figures can be explained also by the fact that the data on the number of coronavirus infected people depends on the number of performed tests, analysts have noted.
Georgia does a good job of informing ethnic minorities; and Armenia has no need to intervene in Georgia's domestic policies, said Johnny Melikyan, an expert on Georgia at the Orbeli Analytical Research Centre.
In Georgia, 16 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on authorities to disseminate information on the coronavirus in the Azerbaijani and Armenian languages, indicating that most of the residents of the Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe Djavakheti regions do not know the Georgian language.
According to the expert, after the quarantine in Georgia, the number of people infected with coronavirus may sharply increase.
Ovakim Zakaryan, an Armenian virologist, does not rule out that in Georgia, the number of confirmed infection cases will grow with an increase in the number of tests. In his opinion, restrictions on travels imposed on citizens in Armenia should be extended for a week.
Rimma Garibyan, the director of the "Jnews" Samtskhe-Djavakheti information portal in Georgia, has noted that there was no panic among the population, but the men who had used to leave to work abroad were unable to leave due to the border closure; and their families are left without income, since for most of them in the region this is the only earning.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 28, 2020 at 06:33 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Tigran Petrosyan, Inna Kukudjanova Source: CK correspondents
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