Georgia is enjoying the distinction of being included in a list of 15 non-EU states the European Union considers safe enough to open its borders to. It's the only former Soviet republic to achieve that status, reads an article titles “How 'three musketeers' helped Georgia fight virus” published by the BBC.

According to the article, by mid-March all schools, universities and non-essential businesses were closed and public transport was suspended. After the introduction of a state of emergency on 21 March, large gatherings and intra-city travel were banned. Nightly curfews were introduced. During Orthodox Easter, Georgia's most important religious holiday, the authorities banned private transport and closed cemeteries.

"We took note of the pandemic's threat a month before the first confirmed case," Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia told the BBC via email. "Given our country's specifics, such as our location and small size, we could not use the examples of other countries."

According to the BBC, an information campaign and regular updates were led by the country's top scientists and Georgia's National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC).

“The NCDC's Lugar Laboratory has been a constant target of Russian disinformation, which has accused it of being part of a US secret bio-weapons programme.

But its scientists have led the country's fight against the pandemic.

In Georgia, the NCDC's scientists have become widely respected for their decision-making.

The trio included the head of the NCDC, Amiran Gamkrelidze, the man in charge of the Lugar lab, Paata Imnadze, and the main virologist, Tengiz Tsertsvadze, who is head of Tbilisi's infectious diseases, Aids and immunology research centre. Another popular figure was the face of the public health campaign, Marina Egubaia, who is medical head of Tbilisi's infectious diseases hospital”, reads the article.