I wanted to extend my appreciation for all the doctors and healthcare workers on the frontline, who are just doing an extraordinary and heroic job. And I also wanted to very much demonstrate my appreciation for the people of Georgia, who shown incredible discipline and resilience through a very difficult pandemic. Such a statement made today Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director. 

“It is with this in mind that we at the World Bank are incredibly proud to announce a USD 180 million package that we’re delivering along with our partners the AIIB, in support of the health sector as well as the social protection measures.

In particular, we are going to be supporting the financing of medical equipment, personal protection equipment for health workers, lung machines, ventilators, oxygen machines, and very importantly, testing kits as well, to help stem and combat the virus. And also, equally important, we are going to be supporting a number of measures to support the vulnerable individuals who have lost their jobs through targeted social assistance, as well as cash transfers to the most vulnerable.

Now, this is part of a larger program in which we’re targeting, to begin with, the people of Georgia, through the health and the social protection measures, second, the government of Georgia, through budget support measures, and third and finally, to the private sector, to support those micro, small and medium size enterprises that have been particularly hard hit because of the virus, sectors such as tourism and agriculture, as well as trade.

I honestly believe that if we come together and fight this virus, that we can come out of this stronger”, - said the World Bank Regional Director in his video address while discussing the World Bank’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Package.