Police Hide in Malls to Ticket Citizens, Says 'Iravunk'

The 'Iravunk' newspaper reports that, as already known, from November 1, the mandatory requirement to wear masks in public outdoor spaces has come into effect. While in other countries around the world, outside mask-wearing is not mandatory, the current authorities in Armenia seem to have a complex about wanting to stand out and appear unique.

Although we previously noted that the mask requirement applies to outdoor areas, police officers are more frequently found 'hiding' in closed spaces, unexpectedly penalizing the 'proud' citizens who are barely managing to cope with half-empty pockets and rising prices.

According to our reliable sources, for example, at the 'Dalma Garden Mall,' officers are hiding behind doors and immediately ticketing citizens who are not wearing masks. Our source points out that security staff at the shopping halls continuously check temperatures at the entrance and remind citizens to wear masks; however, police officers are preventing security staff from carrying out their duties to instead 'unmask' citizens.

This is despite the fact that government official Andranik Kocharyan insists that he is doing well by not wearing a mask. It raises the question: has Andranik Kocharyan been fined? Of course not.