Eurasianet

Labor migrants are attempting to leave Russia as their jobs have been hit by sanctions. But they can’t cross the border into Azerbaijan, which has remained closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

A disengagement from the world medical community combined with conservative societal norms have led to many doctors shunning COVID jabs even as the wave of infections reaches new heights.

The government said the system was useless against the Omicron variant, but critics accused them of pandering to anti-vaxxer sentiment.

Tbilisi’s world-famous nightclubs were the country’s last businesses to reopen following the COVID lockdown. But it took a confrontation with the authorities to make it happen.

Similar systems have been used around the world to encourage vaccinations. But under Georgia’s, you may be better off not being vaccinated at all.

The decision elicited criticism, in particular as bars, restaurants, and tourism infrastructure remain open.

Poor and rural families are not equipped to handle online school. Now they fear another academic year is going to start with schools still closed.

Georgia’s mortality rate is among the world’s highest, and just under 6 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Online classes at Georgia’s universities are vulnerable to students bending the rules. Professors are struggling to contain the problem.

A few months ago, the thought of taking a Chinese COVID vaccine was unthinkable to Georgians. Now it’s the norm.

Recent growth indicators seem impressive only compared to the disaster that was 2020.

During lockdown, delivery drivers are risking their lives to escape debt.

Vaccine hesitancy in Uzbekistan is high, bred by social media conspiracies that seem credible in a country without accountable authorities.

After some early success in fighting COVID, Georgia let down its guard. Then I did, too.

Our Kazakhstan correspondent describes the waiting, the bureaucracy, and the anticlimax of getting his Sputnik V jab in Almaty.