BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.8
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Over 400,000 Georgia-made face masks will be sold in pharmacies in two days, said Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Trend reports via Georgian media.
The minister thanked pharmacies, as they will not increase their price.
“Starting from today, Georgia-made face masks will be sold in pharmacies, each for 50 tetri ($16 cents). Over 400,000 face masks will be sold at the first stage and they will be available in Aversi, Pharamdepo, PSP and GPC. The state pays more than 1 lari (32 cents) per face mask, so they are sold in subsidized price,” the minister noted.
“We have enough supplies in place to manufacture the first batch of face masks which will be distributed to those who need it the most, including those who have contact with high-risk patients,” Turnava said.
The minister added that sewing companies will manufacture reusable face mask which is in line with World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations, as well as the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has reached 208 on April 8.
On March 21, Georgia declared a state of emergency until April 21 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.
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