Armenia’s Government Declares State of Emergency for a Month

At the extraordinary cabinet sitting today, the Armenian government decided to declare a state of emergency from March 16 until April 16. 

The decision is made to prevent further spread of coronavirus in Armenia.

At the same time, it was announced that the movement of citizens between Armenia and Russia will be restricted for two weeks.

The agreement was reached after a phone conversation between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The parties agreed to take joint steps to return citizens to their home countries. 

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Armenia is increasing day by day. Most of the cases were registered among the people who were in quarantine because of having contacts with COVID 19 infected people.

Prime minister Pashinyan was tested the second time late on the 15th of March after it was found out, that one of the people he greeted during the campaign for Constitutional referendum in the South of Armenia a few days ago was tested positive for Coronavirus.

The result of the second test of the prime minister was again negative.

The number of COVID19 infected people in Armenia reached 30 among them the first case in the capital Yerevan, 18 out of 30 cases are in Ejmiatsin, where a COVID19 infected person who returned from Milan ignored the COVID19 symptoms, lied to the doctors and went to an engagement party and infected the other guests.

Among the infected ones in Ejmiatsin was a teenager. His classmates and their parents are in quarantine now. Yesterday the government organized a charter flight from Italy bringing Armenian citizens back. All the passengers of the charter flight from Italy are now in quarantine in Dilijan in headquarters owned by the Ministry of Defense.

The first patient isolated on March 1st has recovered, he has been tested negative twice.

By Karen Tovmasyan

16 March 2020 16:09