We Can Call on Citizens to Wear Only Factory-Made Masks, Says Prime Minister

At today’s government meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about masks, noting that their official message has changed. “This morning, following the international news, I noted that even the most developed countries in the world are just now changing their complete message regarding masks. I observed that the leader of one of those developed countries has said the opposite regarding masks for quite some time, and today he officially stated that, yes, he acknowledges that masks should be mandatory and worn,” he said.

He inquired with Gegham Gevorgyan, the head of the Public Health Authority, about the prices of masks and asked if it was true that there is a decline in mask prices. “Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, you are absolutely correct. But now we have another issue. The imported masks, as they were imported several months ago, were purchased at high prices, while local masks cost 60 drams. Now we have a surplus of masks, meaning we have more masks than are being sold. Masks have already been exported from Armenia at a price of 60 drams, and another batch has been announced,” he said.

Gegham Gevorgyan pointed out that we are now faced with two problems. “The first is that if we do not allow the export of masks, then entrepreneurs will have to sell at lower prices with losses, and if we do allow it, then the price will remain stable—60 drams for local ones and slightly more for imported ones. A new shipment is expected in a few months, which will further lower prices,” he added.

In response, the Prime Minister noted, “Understanding the high prices of masks, we said that those who can should wear factory-made masks, while those who cannot may wear home-made masks. Now that we have a price drop and a surplus, we can move on to the third phase, calling on all our citizens to wear exclusively factory-made masks. Today, when we look at the volumes of mask consumption in the market, we see how many masks are consumed daily in the country, and it is clear to us that the majority of our citizens are not wearing factory-made masks, although we have stated that factory-made masks are much more beneficial.”