We Must Stay Home as Much as Possible, There Is No Other Option: Arsen Torosyan

The Minister of Health of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, stated on his Facebook page: "We need a conscious lockdown instead of a forced one. We all need to limit our non-essential interactions, movements, visits, events, and meetings. We must stay home as much as possible.

During the weekends, we should also remain at home, refrain from visiting, and avoid parties, gatherings, and picnics with our loved ones.

Group or even individual visits to various attractions should be stopped; now is not the time for that. Celebrating different joyful occasions, such as birthday parties, naming ceremonies, anniversaries, etc., including those in your own homes, should be halted. Participation in mourning events should also be minimized, practically ceased. A phone call of condolence during this pandemic situation should be viewed as more valuable than an in-person visit.

We should stay home in the evening too, avoid going out to the yard, and refrain from interacting with neighbors. We must simply not socialize, not meet, keep distance, and not drink coffee together, etc. For children, as difficult as it may be, they should be kept at home as much and as long as possible. We need to come up with alternative activities for children so they don’t go out to play in the yard.

Do not visit your loved ones unless it is absolutely necessary; temporarily communicate through remote means. This sacrifice is essential to save their lives. Stop visiting cafes and restaurants; those are the only places where you can be without a mask and infect each other. If you want to order food from a restaurant, do so and eat alone.

Avoid evening walks. We must be able to resist this temptation and adhere to this important requirement until the situation improves. In all other cases, it is important to wear a mask correctly, maintain a distance of 1.5-2 meters, and frequently disinfect your hands. There is no other way out of this situation. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NONE…"