Presenting the plan to his government, Gakharia said the economy
was expected to contract 4% this year and lose 1.8 billion lari
in revenue. The government had projected 4.5% growth in 2020.
The plan set out by Gakharia allocates 2.110 billion lari to
support businesses and the wider economy, 1.035 billion lari for
welfare support, and 350 million lari for healthcare and medical
needs.
The support measures draw on $3 billion of emergency funding to
be provided by international financial institutions and donors,
which Ghakharia announced on April 14, which Georgia appealed
for to help it balance its budget for this year.
"It became clear that we lacked 3.9 billion lari to balance the
budget," he said.
Georgia earlier this week extended state of emergency till May
22. It includes a night curfew from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m., the
closure of restaurants, cafes and most shops, a suspension of
public transport and a ban on gatherings of more than three
people. Grocery stores, pharmacies and petrol stations remain
open.
Gakharia said that a nationwide ban on movement of private
vehicles would be lifted from April 27, while other restrictions
would be removed gradually.
The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million has so far reported
431 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with five deaths.
(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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