School closure in Georgia extended four days due to virus

Kindergartens and schools will remain closed at least until the end of the week, due to an outbreak of viral meningitis. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian kindergartens and schools up to sixth grade will remain closed until the end of the week to deal with an outbreak of viral meningitis.

The schools should have been opened today, but Health Minister Davit Sergeenko announced Monday that they will remain closed for four more days.

“[The number of] cases of viral meningitis is falling in Tbilisi. There will be some intervals in the regions. We assume that [the number of] cases in the regions will start falling from next week,” he said.

“A positive dynamic is evident.”

He continued saying that so far, there is sign of improvement in Tbilisi but not other places, and that’s why they decided to recommend an extension of the school closure.

Sergeenko said he hopes it won’t be necessary to keep the schools closed another week.

When the closure was first announced, the Health Ministry said it was in order to carry out ‘extra sanitary measures in schools.’ Staff were shown in the TV news working their way through school buildings carrying disinfectant equipment going over walls and other surfaces.

There are now 306 confirmed cases of viral meningitis in Georgia in the last two months.

Sergeenko said earlier that all cases are of either mild or medium severity, and that there is no reason for panic. Georgia also had outbreaks in 2010 and 1006.