State of emergency related to COVID-19 pandemic to be extended for 30  days in Armenia

ArmInfo In Armenia, the state of emergency related with the COVID-19 pandemic will be  extended for 30 days. The decision was made at the meeting of the RA  government on August 12.

According to the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia  Rustam Badasyan, the state of emergency introduced from March 16 and  extended for the last time from 5:00pm on August 12 will continue to  operate until 5:00pm on September 11. Despite the downward trend in  the incidence of coronavirus, nevertheless, in order to overcome its  consequences, the government considered it expedient to extend the  emergency regime for another 1 month. At the same time, as Rustam  Badasyan noted, some relaxation of restrictions is envisaged. In  particular, the ban on the entry into the country of persons who do  not have Armenian citizenship, who, nevertheless, if not  hospitalized, undertake to undergo a 14-day quarantine and  self-isolate, is withdrawn. But if within 14 days these persons,  having passed the relevant tests, received negative conclusions, the  self-isolation regime will change. The ban on holding rallies and  hunger strikes is also excluded, which is replaced by a permit with  mandatory conditions for maintaining anti-epidemic standards. In  particular, we are talking about wearing masks and maintaining social  distance at a distance of at least 1.5 meters. The conditions for  holding family and other events, both in open areas and in closed  rooms, are facilitated, but no more than 40 people, while maintaining  the requirements of the commandant of the state of emergency. The  restrictions on the movement of goods across borders are lifted.

In turn, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that this decision  allows to hold rallies, processions and other events, but it is not  allowed to ignore the norms of anti-epidemiological safety. All  participants in these events must wear masks and maintain a social  distance of at least 1.5 meters. The prime minister also said that on  the issue of extending the state of emergency today, on August 12, an  extraordinary session of the parliament will be held, at which Deputy  Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan will speak as the main speaker.