Tuesday, April 14 2020 15:47

ArmInfo. On April 14, minibus drivers held a protest rally in Yerevan demanding assistance in connection with state of emergency  situation.   In an interview with reporters, they recalled that in connection with  the state of emergency, public transport was prohibited, as a result  of which they lost the opportunity to feed their families. The  extension of the state of emergency, in their opinion, could  exacerbate the situation, because in this regard they will continue  to be unemployed. It is noted that in a state of forced downtime were  more than 200 drivers of minibuses, and they do not fall under any of  the current social assistance programs. At the same time, according  to them, employers show indifference, expressing only their  willingness in the case of government assistance to pass it on to  their recipients.  The situation is aggravated by the fact that some  drivers in these conditions are forced to dress rent for housing or  to cover loans. In this regard, taxi drivers called on the government  to pay attention to their problems and provide the necessary  assistance.   For his part,  director of CJSC Karen Beglaryan informed that  the relevant requests were sent to the mayor's office, the government  and the Commandant's Office even before the ban on public transport,  when a decrease in passenger traffic was observed due to coronavirus.  Meanwhile, the issues have not yet been resolved.  , he said.   To recall, in Armenia the state of emergency due to the situation  with the coronavirus was extended until May 14, 5:00 pm. The  restrictions introduced also apply to public transport.