Armenian PM urges citizens to reconsider travel to Italy, Turkey

Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2020

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan summed up the outcomes of an extended meeting of Armenia’s coronavirus task force on Monday.

First, he urged Armenian citizens to reduce travel to Italy and Turkey as much as possible.

"In general, the Ministry of Health and the government are taking all necessary and available measures, but the most important conclusion of both experts and our discussion today is that the most reliable way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is every person's self-responsibility," the premier said.

Pashinyan urges all citizens to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, to observe the rules of personal hygiene and seek medical care in the event of experiencing coronavirus symptoms.

"Naturally, the number of people raising alarms has increased in recent days, but, fortunately, no new cases of coronavirus infection has been confirmed," he said.

Commenting on the possible restrictions on air travel with other countries, the prime minister said that communication in all directions cannot be stopped. 

"We are doing more intensive work concerning the most affected places," Pashinyan said.

Italy reported a 50% increase in coronavirus cases Sunday. Italy's Civil Protection Authority reported the country now has 1,694 confirmed coronavirus cases, up from 1,128 confirmed cases on Saturday. 34 people have died.