Mass Concert in Dilijan Violating Quarantine Rules: Police Clarification and Contradictory Reality

On September 12, regarding the concert that took place in the city of Dilijan, we clarify that by the Government Decree No. 1514-N of September 11, 2020, a quarantine was established in the Republic of Armenia. According to the second sub-point of the 13th point of the 3rd chapter of the same decree, restrictions were set for social, cultural, educational, sports, or other leisure events (including concerts, exhibitions, screenings, theatrical performances, and other educational activities), if they do not constitute a type of economic activity with the participation of more than 60 individuals.

The concert held in Dilijan was considered a type of economic activity (tickets were sold), thus the aforementioned restrictions do not apply in this case. During the concert, besides monitoring the compliance with the requirements of this decree, the police exercised their legally delegated powers by implementing preventive measures, maintaining public order, and adherence to anti-epidemic safety rules. Citizens were provided with protective masks and warned about their personal responsibility for following safety regulations.

We should also add that we monitored the entire event, and citizens were without masks, did not maintain social distance, and since the concert was broadcast live, we noted that there were no police present on-site. Auroranews tried to address these issues to Zarzand Gabrielyan, the head of the media relations department of the Police of Armenia, who stated that he could not provide any further comments.