COVID-19: Georgia to lift ban on international flights

Georgia will lift a ban on international flights, imposed last March as an anti-pandemic measure, in 10 days' time, authorities said on Friday.

"Starting on February 1, we consider it possible for the restrictions on regular flights to be lifted, and to allow all airlines that used to fly in Georgia or want to do so to operate," Economy Minister Natia Turnava said, according to TASS news agency.

Shopping centres are set to reopen in the capital Tbilisi next month, and the authorities said they were planning to reopen schools and public transport there in March, the RIA news agency reported.

As of Friday, the country of 3.7 million people in the South Caucasus had reported 251,974 coronavirus infections and 3,022 deaths.