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PM on new Covid-19 outbreak: Most new cases registered in industrial and service sectors

Industrial enterprises and the service sector are the main reason for the recent growing number of coronavirus cases in Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said through Facebook Live.

“When we decided to ease the restrictions on May 4, we surely knew that this could lead to a new outbreak. That’s why the Commandant’s Office developed security rules, including for industrial enterprises. Had these rules been followed, we would avoid this outbreak,” he said.

Explaining the decision, he said, “We took the step because we could not stay closed from the economic point of view. The choice was between economy and health, and we tried to balance the situation, not undermining the importance of either of the two,” the Prime Minister stated.

“As a result, we have one of the lowest inflation rates in the world, and one of the most stable national currencies. We have made a choice that would allow to keep the situation maximally balanced.

Pashinyan said strict control will be established over the maintenance of anti-epidemic rules.

“We’ll both apply sanctions and talk to people and try to explain the situation,” the Prime Minister stated.  

He believes that change of individual behavior is key to changing the situation. Therefore, he says the change of individual behavior is key to overcoming the coronavirus crisis. At the same time, he says, administrative levers will be used.

“All restaurants, cafes, bank branches, industrial enterprises that fail to follow the security rules, will be closed,” he added.

The Prime Minister presented the results of a study carried out by Armenian specialists, which shows that wearing masks correctly will help minimize the number of cases.

The Commandant’s Office has therefore decided that all participants of trade (sellers and buyers) should wear masks irrespective of where they are. Until now this rule has been mandatory for  closed-door areas.

Second, the PM said, if there is more than one person in any car, everyone should be in a mask. The failure to abide by the rules will lead to administrative sanctions.

“Analysis shows that if we follow these rules and sanitize the hands, we’ll be able to reduce the number of cases to zero,” Pashinyan said.

He attached importance to individual responsibility.

“We can solve this issue together, and we’ll solve it together,” the Prime Minister concluded.

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