According to the latest figures released by the World Health Organization, more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported across 215 countries around the world, including 281,015 fatalities.

In response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, governments of various countries are implementing a wide range of measures. A research team at the University of Oxford School of Management Blavatnik has developed a special assessment tool, The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), which evaluates and compares measures taken by different countries and derives a stringency index.

The tool evaluates publicly published information for each country, according to 17 state response indicators, of which 8 indicators are regarding containment and closure policies (school closures, restrictions in movement, closure of commercial facilities), 4 indicators are about economic policies (social assistance, unemployment compensation, welfare), and the remaining 5 Indicators include health policy (testing, emergency investments in public health, etc.).Based on the above, IDFI has classified countries in terms of strict, medium and light restrictions. The descriptions of the state of emergency, implemented special restrictions, and imposed fines for their violation, as of May 10, 2020, are presented in the study.

The study overviews situation in a total of 22 countries, including Georgia. According to the data, it appears that, across most countries, measures implemented throughout March in response to the spread of the coronavirus, has begun gradual easing in the second half of April. It should be noted that the easing of measures does not apply to stay-home orders in countries with strict quarantine restrictions, leaving the house is only permissible in case of necessities, such as the purchase of food and medicine, or a visit to a medical facility.

The Government of Georgia has introduced a 6-stage plan for the removal of economic restrictions, which will be implemented in 2-week intervals, from the end of April to the first half of July, taking into account the epidemiological situation.

Given the number of restrictions imposed, their stringency and the severity of the penalties imposed for violating them, Georgia is among the countries with the strictest measures. The first violation of the special state of emergency by a natural person is fined with 3,000 GEL, which is heavier than similar fines imposed by most countries in Western Europe, Scandinavia, and other developed regions, and it is also disproportionately high in relation to the income level of the population. In the case of Germany, for example, a person who violates the rules is fined according to their monthly income, while in New Zealand, the first violation only warrants a verbal warning.

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