In Yerevan, Enforcement of Epidemic Safety Rules on Transport is Tightened

As the number of coronavirus infections rises in Armenia, inspection bodies are intensifying the enforcement of epidemic safety rules by reorganizing their operations. In an interview with Armenpress, Artush Grigoryan, Deputy Head of the State Supervision Service of Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety, stated that since March 9, monitoring activities have begun in collaboration with the Health Inspection Authority and the Traffic Police.

“We started from the center of Yerevan because the overwhelming majority of routes in the capital pass through the Central Administrative District. The monitoring activities will be more intense in the coming days. We will require the mandatory wearing of masks by passengers in vehicles, the presence of disinfectants, and the exclusion of overcrowding,” said Grigoryan.

If the mentioned requirements are not met, relevant reports will be drawn up by the inspection bodies and the Traffic Police. Periodic inspections will be conducted every two or three days by the inspection authorities at route gathering points and bus stations, focusing on the disinfection of transportation vehicles.

“Today, we mainly engaged in awareness-raising activities; no administrative reports have been drawn up. Starting tomorrow, control will be tightened, and there will be reports when necessary,” Grigoryan added.

During the first day of monitoring, inspection bodies and the Traffic Police recorded numerous instances of passengers and drivers without masks, as well as vehicles lacking disinfectants. Grigoryan noted that prior to the monitoring activities, they communicated with all organizations serving the routes over the past week, informed them, and provided instructions for meeting mandatory requirements. In cases of violations, penalties will be enforced in the form of fines. The Health Inspection Authority will impose fines for not wearing masks, while the Traffic Police will hold administrative responsibility for overcrowding. Passengers without masks will be removed from the transport, and in case of overcrowding, the vehicle can be impounded.