The appearance of the self-defense units is the second time this year that civil society has been forced to hold the line. Where the state repeatedly fails to live up to its obligations, volunteers step in.
The Georgian government’s strict, successful early response earned it political dividends. But with a new outbreak, that success is coming under question.
A new program is an attempt to maintain the country's enviable epidemiological situation and still attract some visitors to its tourism-dependent economy.
The territory's public health officials have warned against opening up to tourism, and the arrival of tourists has coincided with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.