ArmInfo. Restrictions on the activities of saunas, baths, steam rooms and discos will be introduced in Armenia. Amendments to the Law on Trade and Services and a number of related laws were made at the meeting of the Armenian parliament on April 12 in the first reading.
Tigran Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments of the Republic of Armenia, who introduced the package of amendments, said that it is about streamlining activities of night clubs and other entertainment facilities operating in multi-apartment buildings and directly next to them, close to educational and medical institutions, state and local authorities authorities. The package for the first time gives legislative definitions that have received wide distribution of commercial services in the republic, in particular, such as "strip club", "karaoke", "disco". The law establishes that these objects, as well as saunas, baths and steam rooms are subject to restrictions, and their placement in residential and non-residential premises of multi-apartment buildings is prohibited. At the same time, considering that permits for the provision of services of this type are issued on the basis of decisions of local government, the law also establishes that the general requirements for the placement of similar facilities are established by local government. In order to implement the provisions of the law, business entities will be given 1 year to transfer such institutions to more remote areas. In case of non-compliance with the law, violators are expected to face serious penalties. In the case of karaoke, discotheques, baths, saunas and steam rooms, the penalty will amount to 50 to 100 times the minimum wage in the first case, and if the violation is repeated within a year of the offense, the fines will be increased to 300 times the minimum wage. With regard to strip clubs, the amount of fines will range from 300 to 500 times the minimum wage, and if the offense is repeated within a year, the fine will increase from 1 thousand to 1.3 thousand of the minimum wage.