Health Minister's Spokesperson Responds to the Minister of Economy

Alina Nikoghosyan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, wrote on her Facebook page regarding the issues raised during the interview of the Minister of Economy.

As we have already reported, the Ministry of Health has submitted to the government a draft decision to amend the decision No. 1514 of the Government of the Republic of Armenia dated September 11, 2020, proposing to extend the quarantine for an additional 6 months.

First and foremost, I would like to emphasize that extending the quarantine allows for the maintenance of existing regulations, continuing the implementation of measures such as wearing masks, the requirement for PCR testing upon crossing borders, the provision of services in various organizations, including educational institutions, and the operation of closed facilities (such as psychiatric institutions) under sanitary-epidemiological safety regulations, and similar other regulations.

Therefore, if the quarantine is not extended, the mentioned regulations will cease to be in effect, and it will not be possible to carry out preventive measures. This draft does not impose any restrictions on any type of economic activity but sets forth requirements that help reduce the risk of infection by the coronavirus in those organizations.

Currently, as the pandemic situation in the world remains tense due to the coronavirus disease, and considering the emergence of new variants of the virus, when several countries are imposing stricter quarantines, such as lockdowns, in response to the sharp increase in cases and deaths in their countries, and with the mass vaccination still not feasible, it is clear that not taking any action and thereby facilitating the spread of the infection is unacceptable.

As a reminder, more than 161,000 cases have been registered in Armenia to date, with 2,901 deaths. According to some international assessments, a forecast of up to 3,930 deaths is expected in Armenia by April 1.

Minister Vahan Kerobyan also noted that the economy currently needs oxygen the most. During the past months, the patients treated for the coronavirus most required oxygen, which has been provided through the efforts of the Ministry of Health.

We are confident that the Ministry of Economy will also make efforts to ensure the economy has the oxygen it needs without increasing the number of patients or disrupting the supply of oxygen necessary for their treatment.

The presented proposal is still a draft and has not yet been approved by the government; therefore, the Ministry of Health is always ready to discuss any proposal if it is justified, reasonable, and based on the best available evidence-based policies.