The latest stories:

• Azerbaijan opposition party claims nearly a dozen members arrested in last two weeks
• Farmers in Georgia’s Marneuli protest inability to sell crops 
• Police clash with anti-stay-at-home protesters in North Ossetia 
• In pictures | Life under quarantine in Gyumri
• Several churches defy Georgian Patriarchate and close churches to the public
• Georgian social workers forced to pay for taxis to visit domestic abuse victims
• Azerbaijan arrests journalists for ‘violating quarantine’
• Analysis | Georgia follows the Japan trajectory, for now

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

First two fatalities in Karachay-Cherkessia

The head of Karachay-Cherkessia Rashid Temrezov has announced the first two deaths from the novel coronavirus infection in the republic. The deceased were both elderly and reportedly had previously been in contact with individuals infected with COVID-19 during a family celebration.

Temrezov has urged residents to treat the risk of contraction and the measures of self-isolation seriously.

The total number of confirmed cases in the republic stands at 246, four patients have recovered.

Muftis in North Caucasus encourage believers to pray at home during Ramadan

To help prevent the spread COVID-19, the muftis of Kabardino-Balkaria, Krasnodar Krai and the Republic of Adygea, Stavropol Krai, North Ossetia and Karachay-Cherkessia have urged believers, during Ramadan, to pray at home and not attend collective prayers in mosques and not participate in collective fast-breaking (iftar).

Georgia launches TV program for families with children with disabilities

Today, Georgia’s Public Broadcaster, a publicly funded TV station which has been partly repurposed as a ‘teleschool’, has started a bi-weekly Parent's Hour program, dedicated to children with disabilities and their parents and caregivers. 

The program, launched with the help of UNICEF, is to provide psycho-emotional support to families facing hardships because of restrictions in place during the COVID-19 outbreak. The show includes tips for behavioural management strategies and parental self-care. 

Unveiling his government's social assistance anti-crisis plan yesterday, Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia promised that people with disabilities would receive a total of ₾600 ($190) over the course of six months starting in May. 

Circassian Flag Day will be celebrated online

Due to self-isolation requirements, Circassian Flag Day marked today, on 25 April, will be celebrated online with a Cherkessian language poetry competition and e-conferences.

Caucasian Knot reports that leaders of public organizations in Kabardino-Balkaria have encouraged those wishing to celebrate to put flags on their balconies, on the roofs of their homes and on their cars.

Majority of daily new cases in Georgia found in Bolnisi Municipality

Authorities have put the Khatisopeli, Mushevani, and Vanati villages in Georgia's Bolnisi Municipality under lockdown after 19 local residents, out of 25 confirmed nationwide within the last 24 hours, tested positive for COVID-19 infection, local outlet Marneuli Radio reports.

The Georgian government put the Bolnisi Municipality, together with adjacent Marneuli Municipality, under quarantine on 23 March.

A number of Azerbaijani citizens returning from Russia have COVID-19

Ramin Bayramli, the chair of the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units, said at a briefing on Friday that several people among the 548 returning to Azerbaijan from Russia are infected with COVID-19. He did not specify the exact number.

Thirteen percent of all registered infections in Azerbaijan are from people who came from abroad, he later said.

South Ossetia postpones Victory Day parade

Following Russia, South Ossetia announced yesterday that they would not mark the end of World War II on 9 May as they usually do, citing the COVID-19 threat.

Chairing the anti-coronavirus operational headquarters meeting on Friday, South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov reportedly tried to refute claims that the pandemic was not real.

South Ossetian authorities claim that they have not registered any cases of COVID-19 infection so far.

 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.

Sharp increase in recoveries in Azerbaijan, 64% of total cases have now recovered

At a briefing on Friday, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Viktor Gasimov announced the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 has risen sharply in the last two weeks. ‘To date, 64% of patients have recovered’, he said.

Roughly 300 medical workers infected with COVID-19 in Azerbaijan

Deputy Minister of Healthcare Viktor Gasimov said on Friday that around 300 medical workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Azerbaijan. He stated that 65% of them have already recovered. 

‘There were mid-level health workers and doctors among the infected’, he said.

Georgia: 6 years in prison for repeatedly violating quarantine rules 

Human rights advocates have criticised the harshness of a law adopted by the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday, which establishes six years of imprisonment as punishment for repeatedly violating the rules of quarantine. The law will be enforced from 2 May onward.

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association has criticised the law in a statement, stating that the parliament rushed to adopt it without debating it at the Human Rights Committee and that it was possibly ‘disproportionate in cases where the violation of the (quarantine) regime did not cause significant harm’. 

Summary

Welcome to OC Media’s coronavirus live updates for Saturday, 25 April. We will be bringing you the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from around the Caucasus.

The biggest developments from yesterday:

Azerbaijan is to begin lifting quarantine restrictions with a number of economic activities restarting from 27 April. People will still have to notify the authorities via SMS in order to leave their homes, however, they will be granted three hours outside instead of two.

Georgia announced it would ease restrictions in six phases, with bans on driving private vehicles, agricultural marketplaces, and selling all kinds of merchandise online lifted from 27 April.

The country also unveiled a social assistance anti-crisis plan including aid for individuals and businesses. 

The number of confirmed cases in Daghestan jumped by 113 in 24 hours, a 27% increase. The total number of confirmed cases in the republic now stands at 567, up from just 154 a week ago.

If you appreciate our live updates during this difficult time, please consider supporting our work. Every little bit helps! 

Read more from yesterday as well as the latest stories:

• Azerbaijan opposition party claims nearly a dozen members arrested in last two weeks
• Farmers in Georgia’s Marneuli protest inability to sell crops 
• Police clash with anti-stay-at-home protesters in North Ossetia 
• In pictures | Life under quarantine in Gyumri
• Several churches defy Georgian Patriarchate and close churches to the public
• Georgian social workers forced to pay for taxis to visit domestic abuse victims
• Azerbaijan arrests journalists for ‘violating quarantine’
• Analysis | Georgia follows the Japan trajectory, for now