Georgia: militaries and policemen introduced into quarantine zone

The introduction of quarantine in the Marneuli and Bolnisi Districts of Georgia caused a drop in earnings, but there are no problems with foodstuffs, local residents inform.

Two districts of the Kvemo Kartli Region – Marneuli and Bolnisi, inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis, have been closed for strict quarantine after on March 22, they revealed coronavirus in a 62-year-old local woman.

About 130,000 people live in the Marneuli District, and about 80,000 – in the Bolnisi District. On March 23, military servicemen and policemen were deployed in the quarantine zone. Residents of these districts are prohibited from leaving the territory for two weeks.

Three days before the quarantine, Georgia marked the Novruz Bayram holiday, before which the Azerbaijanis, who make up 80 percent of Marneuli residents, stocked up on foodstuffs, said Leyla Mamedova, the head of the NGO "Union of Young Azerbaijanis of Georgia".

According to her story, the quarantine coincided with one of the most difficult periods for peasants – the start of March, when people are running out of the supplies that they purchased in the fall.

Spring is a hard time comes for farmers, Sabina Talibova has confirmed. Although the quarantine requirements are less stringent in villages, nevertheless, as in the whole of Georgia, groups of more than 10 people cannot gather together, which will cause difficulties, she has noted.

In the city of Marneuli, residents also keep hotels, workshops, bakeries, and will soon suffer heavy losses, the interlocutors of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent believe.

The local population in Marneuli was not informed about the dangers of coronavirus, said Camilla Mamedova.

The government must compensate for the losses to residents of the district, "otherwise people will turn into beggars. Protests will begin in the region," said Leyla Mamedova.