Nearly 800 employees in penitentiary facilities in Georgia will stay at their workplace after their shifts over the following weeks to ensure safety of inmates during the new coronavirus outbreak. Such a statement made the Minister of Justice of Georgia Thea Tsulukiani.

“The decision had been made to ensure both the ministry and prisoners felt confident the virus could not be brought into the prisons following possible outside contact by the employees.

We have selected 780 employees who entered prison facilities to perform their job-related duties yesterday, and we decide to leave them here. They have been put up in the facility buildings so that they will not leave this area, and the possibility of viral spreads inside the facility will be excluded”, - said the Minister. 

She also thanked the volunteering staff for taking up the new conditions and said the ministry would provide free meals as well as financial compensation for the circumstances.