MONITORING COVID-19 RELATED PUBLIC SPENDING DURING THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AND AFTER covid-19

Taking into account the spread of the virus in the country (first confirmed case on February 26, 2020) and the development of an Anti-Crisis Plan (submission of the Anti-Crisis Plan on April 24, 2020), the 1-year costs of fighting the pandemic in Georgia reflect the summary data for 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. [...] PROCUREMENT OF MEANS TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS (TESTS, PPE, ETC.) According to the information provided by the Ministry of Health, GEL 146,840,376 was spent through the Ministry for the purchase of various means to stop the spread of the virus, including Covid tests. [...] 3 The institutions for the sale of goods, which have been granted permanent recognition on the basis of the “Rule of Recognition of the Business Operator Related to Plant Protection” by the Resolution 90590 of the Government of Georgia of December 13, 2018, and where the beneficiary will be able to use the points and/or cash for receipt of goods within the conditions set by the program. [...] The results a month before the end of the program indicated problems in the planning and implementation of the program and raised doubts about the government's attempt to artificially create excessive public expectations about the scale and effectiveness of the program during the pre-election period. [...] For example, 13 million GEL was allocated for the fulfillment of the yearly commitments made by the Ministry of Defence, GEL 200,000 was allocated for the smooth functioning of the mediation system of the High Council of Justice to finance the initial expenses of the Georgian Mediators Association.