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That’s it for today, join us again tomorrow for more Coronavirus live updates.

Only one village remains quarantined in Georgia

Georgian authorities today lifted the lockdown on the village of Geta, in the country’s southern Bolnisi Municipality, after quarantining it 31 days ago. 

This leaves only the nearby village of Mushevani as the only settlement still under strict quarantine in Georgia.

The authorities quarantined Mushevani on 25 April after several cases emerged in the village. Yesterday, four more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the village, bringing the total to 79. 

Georgia also maintains special quarantine zones where anyone arriving from abroad must stay for two weeks.

Karachay-Cherkessia extends restrictions until 22 June

The Operational Headquarters of Karachay-Cherkessia to combat coronavirus has decided to extend restrictive measures and the stay-at-home order in the republic until 22 June.

The head of Karachay-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov, said that the epidemic situation ‘remains tense’.

At the request of the Russian Ministry of Health, a team of 17 doctors from the republic of Bashkortostan as well as medical supplies including personal protective equipment and medicines was sent to Karachay-Cherkessia today.

At the meeting of the Operational Headquarters, Temrezov thanked Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko and Head of the Bashkir Republic Radiy Khabirov for the assistance.

Online news channels investigated in Karachay-Cherkessia after accusing authorities of hiding real numbers

Karachay-Cherkessia’s Investigative Committee have launched a probe into online programme Chyornyi Kub (‘black cube’) and Instagram channel Politika09 for allegedly disseminating fake news about COVID-19 in the republic.

Both have published allegations that the authorities in Karachay-Cherkessia have been hiding the true number of people infected and to have died from COVID-19 in the republic.

In their latest video published on 9 June, Chyorniy Kub pointed the finger at the head of Karachay-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov, and called for a state of emergency to be declared.

On Sunday, Politika09 protested the investigation, insisting that they could prove the number of those who had died from coronavirus in Karachay-Cherkessia was higher than the official numbers with a list of names of casualties ‘confirmed by their families’.

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Colony 13: Coronavirus in an Azerbaijani prison

Colony 13, a prison in Baku’s Garadagh District, is currently gripped by a COVID-19 epidemic. 

Azerbaijani officials claim that there are only a few dozen cases, however, relatives of inmates describe nothing less than a plague. 

Read the full story from OC Media’s Sabina Abubakirova: Colony 13: Coronavirus in an Azerbaijani prison.

Abkhazia begins to reopen economy 

Abkhazia relaxed some of its anti-coronavirus measures today, allowing public events (including weddings) to be held and daily agricultural markets to reopen.

Gyms, spas, saunas, and massage parlors have also been allowed to reopen. 

However, last week, Abkhazian authorities decided to keep the border with Russia closed at least until July. A ban on tourist accommodation facilities will also remain in force. 

Abkhazian authorities closed movement with Russia on 8 April.

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

Domestic tourism and train travel restarts in Georgia

Today, the Georgian government allowed domestic tourism to resume, a measure highly touted by the authorities as the economy is expected to be hurt by diminished international visitors. 

The government has said that foreign tourists will be able to visit Georgia in July, however, they are yet to confirm from which countries visitors will be allowed to travel.

Railway travel also restarted today in Georgia. Like in other means of public transport and public buildings, passengers are required to wear protective face masks. Health authorities in Georgia have also instituted thermal screening before embarking on a train.

Last week, Georgian lawmakers adopted a new bill penalising a failure to wear masks in such closed public spaces.

Summary

Welcome to OC Media’s coronavirus live updates for Monday, 15 June. We will be bringing you the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from around the Caucasus.

The biggest developments over the weekend:

On Saturday, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that plain-clothed police officers will also be monitoring the streets to ensure people are abiding by safety regulations, however, they will not approach or fine people but will call in police officers on duty stationed near them if they see any violations.

Armenia’s Health Minister Arsen Torosyan announced on Sunday that he will start sharing the street names of where people infected with coronavirus are residing in the hope of thwarting people from visiting neighbours or leaving their houses for non essential reasons. So far, he has shared 9 street names from across the country. 

On Sunday, a group of doctors from France arrived in Yerevan to assist Armenian doctors in the fight against COVID-19. The effort came about through a collaboration between Armenia’s Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs and USAID. 

Official numbers of coronavirus fatalities in Karachay-Cherkessia came under scrutiny last week after a group of local residents accused the authorities of hiding the real statistics. As of today, the authorities are confirming only 10 coronavirus casualties while one of the republic’s top clinicians has alleged it was over 100.

Yesterday, Karachay-Cherkessia also recorded the highest number of new cases among the regions of the North Caucasus, registering 98 new infections.

On Saturday, Daghestan’s authorities announced the ‘first stage’ of lifting anti-coronavirus restrictions would start on Monday. They said the healthcare situation in the republic had ‘stabilised’. 

The relaxed regulations announced on 13 June include reopening shops and offices.

Read the latest stories:

• Colony 13: Coronavirus in an Azerbaijani prison
• Azerbaijan’s total lockdown weekend marked by police violence 
• Pashinyan fires top security officials after wedding party
• Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and family test positive for COVID-19
• Armenian COVID-19 ‘fake news’ site was funded by US
• ‘A lost year’ — How the global pandemic has hit Azerbaijan’s economy
• Armenia continues to reopen despite steady growth in new cases of COVID-19
• Chechens ‘beaten and detained’ by security forces for leaving home on Eid al-Fitr
• WHO recommendations ‘widely disregarded’ in South Ossetia’s Akhalgori
• Man disappears in Grozny after returning to be with family during pandemic
• Georgian Health Ministry cancels contract for ‘Dutch-made’ tests that were made in China
• Georgia plans corona-safe ‘tourist zones’
• Critical shortages‘ of protective equipment reported in Daghestan’s hospitals
• Voice | The women on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic