17:38, 12 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan chaired a meeting of the governmental task force dealing with the prevention of the COVID19 spread in Armenia.

Avinyan said that they should consider introducing a liability institute in order to secure the effectiveness of the factual isolation of persons who are or will be self-quarantined in their homes. “Even WHO doesn’t advise isolating and quarantining all people who enter the country and this is physically impossible. But in order to implement supervision for those in self-quarantine, I think this discussion should take place today and we must make decisions”, he said. The Healthcare Ministry and the Justice Ministry were both tasked with recommending options of implementing liability against those who will violate self-quarantine regimes.

Issues concerning external and domestic measures aimed at preventing the coronavirus, the economic impacts of the outbreak and potential developments and scenarios were discussed.

Avinyan tasked all governmental agencies to ramp up preventive medical measures.

The task force decided that nationals who will be airlifted out of the coronavirus-hit Italy on a special flight on March 15 will be quarantined for 14 days after arrival.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan