No Cases of Suspicious Infection Recorded at Border Checkpoints: SATCM

No cases of suspicious infections have been recorded at border checkpoints; monitoring has been intensified. The Armenian Health and Labor Inspection Body has reported this on its Facebook page.

The post states, "No suspicious cases have been registered at the checkpoints of the Armenian state border in recent days regarding symptoms characteristic of the coronavirus. No passengers arriving from China have exhibited fever."
The Director of the Health and Labor Inspection Body, Hakob Avagyan, visited the "Zvartnots" Airport border crossing point to review the intensified monitoring of passenger movement.

Continuous communication is maintained with the responsible teams at other border checkpoints to assess the situation and the measures taken.

Passengers arriving from epidemiologically unfavorable countries, particularly China, are provided with "Address Cards for Travelers for Public Health Protection Purposes." These cards are filled out on the airplane and handed over to the medical staff of the sanitary inspection points of the Health and Labor Inspection Body upon arrival.

Individuals entering the country can address all questions regarding this matter to the medical personnel stationed at the inspection points located at all border crossing checkpoints.

The Health and Labor Inspection Body conducts constant monitoring over passengers arriving in Armenia (including those in transit) at all air and land border points through inquiries, remote electronic thermometry, and, if necessary, the organization of medical assistance to reduce the risk of the mentioned pathogen's spread.

To exclude the possibility of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) penetrating into Armenia from China, the Health and Labor Inspection Body has collaborated with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia, monitoring information from international organizations, particularly the World Health Organization.

Responding to the call of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Armenian Embassy in China has established contact with approximately 400 Armenian citizens currently residing or located in that country. None have reported health-related issues.

Measures are being taken to exclude the penetration of the coronavirus and to raise awareness regarding it. A series of actions have been initiated by the Health and Labor Inspection Body to prevent the importation of new coronavirus cases registered in China into the Republic of Armenia.

The sanitary inspection points of the inspection body maintain constant monitoring over arrivals in Armenia, conducting automated stationary thermometry and external examinations on all individuals crossing the border.

If an individual crossing the Armenian border exhibits fever or other clinical symptoms characteristic of infectious diseases, they will be isolated by the staff of the Health and Labor Inspection Body to limit interaction with the crew and other passengers. Their details will be collected and recorded for transfer to the polyclinic at their place of registration or residence for further management.

Together with the Ministry of Health, informational posters have been installed at the border sanitary checkpoints to inform about the new virus, measures to avoid infection, and steps to prevent cases from being imported into Armenia.

Specifically, it is advised to:

• Consider the epidemiological situation of the destination country when planning international travel;
• Consult a doctor in the presence of flu-like symptoms and avoid self-treatment;
• Seek medical assistance upon returning from China if experiencing flu-like symptoms, mentioning travel history.