Georgia maintains its position as a stellar performer globally in terms of COVID-19 response, with one of the lowest active coronavirus cases at three per 100,000 people. Since lifting quarantine restrictions, daily new cases have remained very low (unlike in many other countries, including neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia), at between one and 10 cases, mostly related to transit cargo drivers. Notably, despite the earlier communication that Georgia’s borders would be open for international tourism from 1 July 2020, the government extended the restrictions, with regular flights suspended until further notice. Later, the government announced that it would unconditionally reopen borders to the citizens of five EU countries – Germany, France, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – arriving via direct flights, and business travelers from all countries with the prior approval of the relevant government agency. This worsens the outlook for international tourism, but a strong rebound in remittances, a V-shaped recovery in consumer expectations, the resumption of domestic tourism and normalized business activity make us optimistic about recovery dynamics.
