Workers Required to Undergo PCR Testing Every Two Weeks: New Ministry Directive

The Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan, signed decree No. 65-N on August 20, introducing amendments to decree No. 17-N, dated August 4, 2020, which establishes the sanitary rules applied for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Armenia.

According to LegalNet, one of the added provisions requires working citizens to undergo PCR testing every two weeks. As per the amendments, workers must present a negative result of the COVID-19 diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, no older than 72 hours, certified by a document as outlined in the Minister of Health's decree No. 2688-L dated August 10, 2020, except for fully vaccinated individuals, single-dose vaccinated individuals, those with documented absolute contraindications, and pregnant women.

The certificate is registered in form 4 (registration form 4 specified below) and a copy is kept on file. The PCR test is conducted at the worker's expense. A worker who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 presents the vaccination certificate specified by the Minister of Health's decree No. 2020-L dated May 27, 2021, which complies with the administration guidelines of the respective vaccine. This certificate is registered in form 5 (registration form 5 specified below) and a copy is attached to the worker's personal file.

If a worker has not been fully vaccinated within the stipulated timeframe set for the specific vaccine between the first and second doses, they are not required to present a negative PCR test result certificate. If the second dose is not administered within the stipulated interval for a specific vaccine, and the worker has no medical contraindication, they must provide a negative PCR test result certificate, in accordance with item 8.1, which requires a negative test result to be presented every 14 days.

As stipulated in item 8.4 (Medical contraindications for COVID-19 vaccinations), employees with medical contraindications must present a medical document regarding their COVID-19 vaccination contraindications, issued by a primary healthcare doctor, in accordance with the requirements of the Minister of Health's decree No. 35-N dated July 3, 2013.

Medical contraindications for COVID-19 vaccinations include: 1) Absolute contraindications: documented serious allergic reactions or anaphylaxis caused by a previous dose or any component of the vaccine (e.g., widespread urticaria, wheezing, swelling of the mouth or throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, and shock). The subsequent dose is not administered. 2) Temporary contraindications: acute infectious or somatic diseases with moderate to severe courses; vaccination should occur immediately after recovery. In cases of exacerbations of chronic diseases, vaccination occurs during the remission phase, and it is permitted under conservative therapy in cases of chronic neurological diseases (e.g., persistent encephalopathy, uncontrolled epilepsy), vaccination is carried out during the stabilization phase of clinical manifestations.

Registration Form 4: Regarding the PCR test for the diagnosis of COVID-19
Employee: [Employee Name] [Employee Position]
Scheduled Examination
Conducting Organization Name: [Organization Name]
Examination Date: [Date]
Examination Result: [Result]
(* The register is filled according to the certificate presented by the worker. The date for the next examination is calculated based on the sampling date indicated in the certificate.)

Registration Form 5: Regarding Vaccination Status and Medical Contraindications
Employee: [Employee Name] [Employee Position]
Vaccine Name: [Vaccine Name]
1st Dose Date: [Date]
1st Dose Series: [Series]
Administering Healthcare Facility: [Facility Name]
2nd Dose Date: [Date]
2nd Dose Series: [Series]
Administering Healthcare Facility: [Facility Name]
Medical Contraindications, including: [Details]
Date of Contraindication: [Date]
Facility Documenting the Diagnosis: [Facility Name]
Note: * The register is filled in accordance with the vaccination certificate or medical documentation provided by the worker.