No plans on halting referendum campaigning over coronavirus yet, says PM

 12:12, 12 March, 2020

JERMUK, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says they will cancel the ongoing campaigning for the constitutional referendum in the event of coronavirus-related necessity.

“If the number of coronavirus infections becomes large, the government will be first to announce it. I have presented the current situation yesterday evening,” Pashinyan said, adding that the government will notify the general public in the event of a risk.

He said the direct contacts of the latest three cases are being traced and quarantined. He said some of them might be asked to self-quarantine in their homes.

Pashinyan said at this moment the campaigning for the constitutional referendum slated for April 5 continues.

“If a necessity on suspending it will emerge, we will suspend it. As long as we haven’t suspended it, it means there is no such necessity,” Pashinyan said.

On March 11, three novel coronavirus cases were confirmed in Armenia, bringing the total number to 4.

10 direct contacts have been quarantined at the Golden Palace hotel in a resort town, the disused hotel which was transformed into a quarantine zone for the 31 direct contacts of the first case on March 1.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan