Georgia tightens entry rules for African countries amid new strain of Covid-19
Amid the emergence of a new, so-called of African strain of coronavirus, Georgian border crossing rules will change for citizens of 8 countries.
Any person, regardless of citizenship, who has traveled to certain countries within the last 14 days is subject to 14 days of self-isolation / quarantine in the quarantine zone upon entering Georgia.
These countries include:
● South Africa
● Botswana
● Zimbabwe
● Namibia
● Lesotho
● Eswatin (Swaziland)
● Mozambique
● Malawi
In addition, after 14 days of self-isolation / quarantine, they will have to undergo a PCR test.
The government clarifies that for Georgian citizens, the costs of a quarantine hotel and PCR texts will be covered by the state but foreign citizens will be required to pay all the expenses themselves.
The council’s decision will enter into force on November 28.
Due to the new strain of coronavirus, the United States and Europe have introduced an emergency ban on flights from countries in South Africa.
European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the decision came after Belgium reported a new case of coronavirus from South Africa. Scientists have already named this strain “Omicron”.
Health officials from 27 European countries have unanimously agreed to the flight ban.
The World Health Organization announced that the new strain is “troubling”. Scientists say that the new strain is spreading faster than the previous ones, and is also heavily mutated, so vaccines may not be able to cope with it. A new variant of the coronavirus is still being studied.
