An extraordinary Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before discussing the agenda items, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan reported on the situation with the spread of coronavirus infection in Armenia. She advised that 2297 tests were conducted during the past day, which revealed 628 new cases of infection; 173 patients have recovered, and 13 deaths - recorded.

Nikol Pashinyan noted that these figures are a reflection of how the anti-epidemic rules were observed in the Republic of Armenia over the past 7-14 days in terms of wearing masks, observing the requirement of social distancing and disinfecting hands.

“After 1-2 days of positive indications, we can notice that figures are tending up with poor compliance with anti-epidemiological rules, and this is our biggest problem. That is, the citizens of Armenia should clearly understand that the increased number of new cases reflects the way we enforce the prescribed rules in terms of wearing masks, observing social distancing and disinfecting our hands. And we must convey this message to our citizens by all means,” the Prime Minister said.

By a government decision, the state of emergency declared on 16 March 2020 and extended until 13 June, will be extended for 30 days until 5 p.m., July 13, 2020. Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan presented amendments to the decision on extending the state of emergency. In particular, he suggested limiting the powers vested in the Compulsory Enforcement Service, so as not to seize or collect those funds, which were provided by individuals or legal entities to other individuals with a view to solving social problems or minimizing the adverse impact of COVID-19.