NEWS

Kelly Degnan: We Are Monitoring Georgia’s Readiness for Visa Liberalization with the US

BY ANA DUMBADZE

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan this week said the United States is monitoring Georgia’s visafree travel program with Europe to see how prepared the country is for visa liberalization with the United States.

In an interview with VOA, Degnan said the United States appreciates the sacrifi ces Georgia has made in military operations together with the United States, but that visa liberalization has strict requirements:

“Visa liberalization has very strict requirements that each country must meet. We are watching how the visa-free regime program with the EU is going, as an indicator of how ready Georgia is for our visa-free regime, which has similar requirements. Georgia must meet these very strict requirements,” Degnan noted.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Meets with Speaker of UK House of Commons

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili held a meeting with the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle.

Speaker Papuashvili underlined the strong friendship between the countries, strategic partnership and active bilateral dialogue.

The parties discussed the cooperation between Georgia and the UK in various dimensions. They also reviewed the security landscape in Georgia, the Black Sea, and the wider region.

Shalva Papuashvili also provided the plans and priorities of the Georgian Parliament. Lindsay Hoyle in turn affi rmed continued UK support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Georgia’s Tetnuldi Resort Hosts Freeride World Qualifi er for the First Time

Photo: Georgian Travel Guide BY ANA DUMBADZE

For the fi rst time in Georgia, at the Tetnuldi resort in the mountainous Svaneti region, within the framework of the “Freeride” week, the qualifying stages of the Freeride World Tour (FWQ) were held.

The event, held on February 8-12, was organized by Mountain Resorts Development Company (MRDC) of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, with the support of the USAID Economic Security Program, Mestia Municipality, Svaneti destination management organization Shan Land, and the National Tourism Administration.

“Holding the event to a high standard will demonstrate the potential of Georgian ski resorts internationally,” the MRDC noted. “It will increase the awareness of Georgia’s ski resorts and make them more attractive to local and foreign tourists and investors, which, in turn, will contribute to the development of tourism in Georgia and the creation of an appropriate investment environment.

“Qualifying (FWQ) stages include small 2-star and big 4-star competitions. The small competition ensures the involvement of local and beginner athletes, while the big competition provides the participation of high-ranking foreign athletes and international coverage. Up to 120 athletes from 20 countries will take part in the competitions.

“In freeride sports, there is a hierarchy of events according to which the annual calendar is planned. Georgia has been given a unique opportunity to host the highest category qualifying round of the Freeride World Qualifi er in the fi rst year, which is rated 4 stars. The higher level of this competition is only the Freeride World Tour, which Georgia will be able to host as a result of successful qualifi cation stages, ” the MRDC announced.

Corona Updates: Many Countries in Europe Lifting Restrictions

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THE STATISTICS

Georgia reported 24,16 coronavirus cases, 18,221 recoveries, and 54 deaths on Tuesday. Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 11,801 Covid-19 cases, followed by the Imereti region with 3382 cases, and the Adjara region with 2187 cases.

The country reported 25,161 coronavirus cases, 16,789 recoveries, and 51 deaths on Wednesday. Tbilisi recorded 11,857 cases, followed by Imereti with 3730 cases, and Adjara with 2011.

Georgia reported 22,444 coronavirus cases, 13,245 recoveries, and 53 deaths on Thursday.

Tbilisi recorded the highest number of 10,931 new cases within 24 hours, followed by Imereti with 3281 cases, and the Adjara region with 1876 cases.

The daily test-positivity rate now stands at 32.82%, while it was 29.93 % in the past 14 days. Georgia’s total case tally reached 1,398,059, among them 1,154,476 people recovered and 15,404 died.

As of February 10, 2,764,352 people had received a Covid-19 vaccine, averaging 3454 a day.

THE CASES WORLDWIDE

Many countries are starting to ease Covid restrictions ahead of the upcoming tourist season. tests positive must self-isolate for at least fi ve full days.

The current restrictions were due to expire on 24 March, but Mr Johnson told MPs he expected the last domestic rules would end early as long as the positive trends in the data continued, reported the BBC.

In contrast, the Scottish government's remaining Covid powers are set to be extended until 24 September, as legislation making face coverings mandatory and requiring vaccine passports in some settings was due to expire at the end of the month.

At the same time, the UK has approved a fi fth Covid-19 vaccine, developed by US company Novavax, which offers up to 89% protection against Covid illness.

“The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has said it is safe as a fi rst and second dose in adults. Millions of doses are being manufactured at a plant on Teesside,” reported the BBC.

“Health Secretary Sajid Javid says independent scientists on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization will now consider its use. The vaccine could then be used immediately as part of the UK vaccination program.”

EUROPE

School holidays are approaching in much of Europe. In the interests of the tourism industry, travel restrictions are being lifted in some countries.

Unvaccinated people traveling to Portugal will no longer need to submit a negative answer to a Covid test, although restrictions for unvaccinated citizens are still in force.

Vaccinated citizens will not have to submit a test answer in Greece either. However, as in many EU member states, people who have taken two doses of the Covid vaccine 270 days ago should definitely get a booster dose.

And good news for those wishing to go to France - the government has announced that it will soon stop requiring a negative Covid test outside the EU.

However, the restrictions will be lifted only if the number of people infected with the virus continues to decline.

With the spread of the Coronavirus declining, wearing a face mask in public places in Italy will no longer be mandatory.

The situation is the same in Spain, where the government has abolished the obligation to wear a face mask in public places.

The head of the World Health Organization insisted Wednesday that “Covid isn’t fi nished with us,” appealing for more support to fi ght the pandemic after his agency reported that case counts and deaths fell worldwide over the past week.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launching a new $23 billion campaign to fund WHO’s efforts to lead a fair rollout of Covid-19 tests, treatments and vaccines around the world, cautioned that “diseases know no borders” and the highlytransmissible Omicron variant has shown that “any feeling of safety can change in a moment,” reported Global News.

WHO’s weekly epidemiological report, released on Tuesday, showed that case counts fell 17% worldwide over the last week, including a 50% decline in the United States, while deaths globally declined 7%.