Wednesday,
Armenian PM Unveils Economic Aid Package Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has promised that his government will
provide at least 150 billion drams (over $300 million) in assistance to the
economy, which is likely to be affected by the ongoing novel coronavirus
pandemic.
In an interview with Shant TV on Wednesday Pashinian said that areas in which
assistance could prove most efficient in conditions of a modifying global
economy will need to be identified.
“The Armenian government will allocate a total of 25 billion drams (over $50
million) to co-finance and subsidize the interest rates of loans for companies
that borrow money from Armenian banks in the national currency to pay salaries,
taxes, bills and purchase raw materials,” he said.
The prime minister said he viewed the current situation as “point zero” from
which the “economic revolution” advocated by his government should start. “Now
everything is collapsing and we get a large construction site. We should be
thinking about building a new life, a new state, a new society, a new
opportunity and a new economy on this site,” Pashinian said. “Industrial
relations will collapse, and we will need to figure out where to invest money.”
Pashinian said that in his opinion now is a good time to provide urgent support
to agriculture and subsidize loans in this sector, thus encouraging people to
engage in rural economy.
“We have prepared a package of 30 billion drams (over $60 million) for urgent
social assistance to exclude the impoverishment of people,” the prime minister
said, adding that citizens and businesses should be confident that the
government will stand by them.
Armenia declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16 in a bid to slow down
and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. Limitations that
concern international and local travel, public gatherings and other activities
could potentially affect a number of private sector companies.
As of late Wednesday Armenia has confirmed 110 coronavirus cases. Officials say
the country’s first coronavirus patient identified on March 1 has recovered.
Armenian Students Offered Distance Learning Opportunity
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- A lesson in a Yerevan school (file photo)
The education system of Armenia is switching to distance learning because of
school closures conditioned by the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a
government official.
Arayik Harutiunian, who heads the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and
Sports, said on Wednesday that the new system will be trialed in the country
during the next couple of weeks.
All schools, universities and kindergartens in Armenia were closed on March 13
when the number of new coronavirus cases began to increase in the country
rapidly, leading to the declaration of a national emergency.
Under the state-of-emergency rule, all educational establishments are to remain
closed at least until April 14.
In the meantime, the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declared that
the new challenge also presents a good opportunity to pilot a long-advocated
distance learning program in the country.
Minister Harutiunian told reporters today that if successful, the distance
learning system may become an efficient tool for Armenia’s education system
beyond the emergency period.
The minister cited one of the points of the state-of-emergency decree that
leaves an option for organizing classes in a remote mode.
Arayik Harutiunian, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
07Nov.,2019
“In terms of the higher education system we have been able to find solutions due
to cooperation with universities and as a result of our consultations. A
situation has emerged when higher schools have confirmed that they have
undertaken various means to ensure distance learning during this period and have
already begun to implement distance learning,” the minister said.
According to Harutiunian, the ministry is monitoring the process in universities
to understand the integrity of distance learning.
“As far as general education institutions are concerned, we see a lot of
enthusiasm here. Without our interference some educational institutions – in
some cases classrooms, in some cases teachers – have started using online
platforms to ensure the continuity of the educational process. And I welcome
those professionals, those heads of educational establishments and organizers,
and I say that you are our partners, and we are your partners, and together we
ought to go through this stage and help all those educational institutions that
have not had this opportunity or lacked such tools so far to provide them with
such tools for organizing distance learning,” Harutiunian said.
The minister said that the emergency measures will thus become a national pilot
project of sorts in the field of distance learning. He added that under the
government program, introduction of a distance learning system was originally
planned in Armenia for December 2021.
The minister reported that an online portal
(https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://heravar.armedu.am__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!69yR6oMGiNbpRn3n1A-T4vRsrRRqTeAH7kWIEMAoYGwL2ccEZW80sEuwbnDcuw$
) has been created to gather information about platforms for implementing such
programs. Teachers will receive training so that they can acquire the knowledge
and experience needed for distance education, the minister added.
Harutiunian emphasized that distance learning “is not about education away from
schools, it is about organizing the learning process through technical means.”
As students across Armenia have to stay at their homes, Armenia’s Public
Television is going to broadcast classes every morning for more than two hours.
Besides, a private telecommunications company, Ucom, will provide a separate
channel broadcasting classes around the clock. Also, the Ministry of Education
will have its own YouTube channel where training videos will be posted. Ucom has
said its customers will be enabled to watch this channel without paying for the
internet traffic it takes.
Pneumonia Death In Armenia ‘Not Related’ To COVID-19
The death of a 49-year-old patient hospitalized with pneumonia in Armenia on
March 17 is not related to the novel coronavirus infection, according to health
authorities.
Alina Nikoghosian, a spokeswoman for Armenia’s Ministry of Health, said on
Wednesday that doctors struggled to save the life of the patient who had been
transported to Yerevan’s hospital for infectious diseases with a diagnosis of
“pulmonary edema, bilateral pneumonia and respiratory insufficiency”, conducting
“all necessary cardiopulmonary resuscitation measures”, but did not manage to
save the person’s life.
According to the official, initially doctors suspected that the patient might
have developed pneumonia due to COVID-19, a disease caused by the new
coronavirus infection.
Nikoghosian said that the sample taken from the person tested negative for the
coronavirus.
According to authorities, 84 coronavirus cases have been identified in Armenia
as of March 18 morning. One patient is said to have been recovered and
discharged from hospital. No deaths from COVID-19 have been registered in
Armenia yet. It is reported that only two of the current patients have developed
pneumonia, but according to officials, both are having it in a mild form.
In a live broadcast on Facebook on Wednesday morning Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian said that a majority of the patients do not even have fever or
exhibit other coronavirus symptoms.
Earlier, the prime minister said that Armenia’s first coronavirus patient, a
29-year-old man evacuated from Iran, did not require even symptomatic treatment
while in hospital.
To slow down and contain the further spread of the novel coronavirus the
Armenian government declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 16.
Airlines Cancel Flights To Armenia Over Travel Restrictions
Armenia - A passenger jet at Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport (file
photo)
More than a dozen and a half airlines have temporarily canceled flights to and
from Armenia after travel restrictions were introduced in the South Caucasus
country as part of a coronavirus-conditioned 30-day state of emergency.
According to the press service of the Armenian government, suspension of flights
concerns a number of destinations, including Moscow, Rome, Milan, Tbilisi,
Tel-Aviv, Doha, Minsk, Sharm El Sheikh, Lyon, Warsaw, Kyiv, Dubai and others.
Armenia declared the state of emergency on March 16 amid a spike in the number
of novel coronavirus cases that have now reached 84. The regime implying a range
of limitations, including for international travel, will remain in place until
April 14.
Under the state-of-emergency rule all citizens of Armenia and members of their
families regardless of their nationality are allowed to return to Armenia by
plane. Armenian citizens are also allowed to leave the country by plane on
condition that upon return they will be mandatorily quarantined for the
coronavirus infection. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, has
strongly recommended that citizens of Armenia abstain from traveling abroad to
avoid possible difficulties conditioned by the global pandemic.
Armenia has also banned the entry by airspace for citizens of 16 countries most
affected by the novel coronavirus, including China, Iran, South Korea, Japan,
Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Norway,
Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
All foreigners are banned from crossing into Armenia by land. The exception is
made for foreign truck drivers transporting cargoes and their partners unless
they exhibit coronavirus-like symptoms.
In a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus Armenia and Russia also
introduced restrictions on travel by land and air between the two countries. The
measure that does not apply to cargo shipments will be in force at least through
March 24.
According to the Armenian government, restrictions will not apply to Armenian
and Russian citizens and members of their families returning to their countries
as well as several other categories of citizens, including diplomats, officials
and servicemen newly deployed at the Russian military base in Armenia or
returning from Russia.
Pensions In Armenia To Be Delivered To Homes
A woman wearing a face mask in Gyumri, Armenia,
Authorities in Armenia say pensions of hundreds of thousands of retired people
will be delivered to their homes to prevent the risk of the novel coronavirus
affecting them.
Scientists around the world say that people aged over 60 are more likely to
develop complications and die because of COVID-19, a disease caused by the new
infection.
Most people in Armenia retire at the age of 63, making pensioners potentially a
risk group for the highly contagious virus.
“Elderly people are considered to be the riskiest group in terms of the
coronavirus infection and these are our beloved parents and grandparents,”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in a live broadcast on Facebook on
Wednesday.
“In order to reduce risks for our dear pensioners we have decided to organize
the process of payment so that they don’t have to go to and crowd postal
offices. All those who have received their pensions with their bank cards will
continue to do so. And those who have received their pensions by visiting postal
offices themselves will be visited by postal workers who will deliver their
pensions to their homes. Of course, these postal workers will be wearing
protective masks,” Pashinian added.
There are about half a million pensioners in Armenia. Some of them receive their
monthly pensions in non-cash methods. But still a lot of pensioners prefer going
to postal offices at the beginning of every month to be paid their pensions in
person. Crowding at postal offices at such days is a usual occurrence throughout
Armenia.
Earlier, it was reported that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs had been
negotiating with Haypost CJSC to ensure that employees of the postal company
visit the beneficiaries in person to pay them pensions and other social benefits.
The Ministry said there will be no delays in the payment of pensions and
benefits in Armenia because of the coronavirus epidemic and the ongoing state of
emergency that will be in place until April 14.
According to the official data released by the Health Ministry on March 18
morning, the number of coronavirus cases in Armenia has reached 84. Officials
say Armenia’s first COVID-19 patient identified on March 1 has recovered.
Since the onset of the epidemic the Armenian government has been urging elderly
people to stay at home as much as possible to minimize the risk of being
affected by the new coronavirus.
Armenia Increasing Hospital Capacity Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Minister Says
Armenia - Construction underway at Nork Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yerevan
Armenia is looking to expand its capacity to place patients in hospitals amid a
state of emergency declared over an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the
South Caucasus country.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian said on Wednesday that Yerevan’s specialized
hospital for infectious diseases will get dozens of additional wards by the end
of the week.
“Construction of the modular reception hall at Nork Infectious Diseases Hospital
is in full swing. We are going to have 40 new wards in 3-4 days,” the minister
announced in a Facebook post.
Since the number of coronavirus cases in Armenia began to increase rapidly late
last week, the Nork hospital started to treat only patients having the new
coronavirus infection or suffering from COVID-19, a potentially deadly disease
caused by it.
According to the official data released on March 18 morning, the number of
people infected with coronavirus in Armenia has reached 84. Officials say
Armenia’s first COVID-19 patient identified on March 1 has recovered.
Armenia’s Health Minister Arsen Torosian
In a live broadcast on Facebook late on Tuesday Minister Torosian said that
about 600 people suspected of having had contacts with coronavirus patients are
currently under quarantine. He said the government has the capacity of placing
several hundred more people under quarantine, but warned that beyond that
self-quarantines would be required.
On March 16, the Armenian government declared a 30-day state of emergency over
the coronavirus outbreak. A set of limitations have been introduced, including a
ban on public gatherings and the possibility of restricting people’s travel due
to epidemiological conditions.
Land border crossings with Iran and Georgia remain open only for cargo
transportation. Citizens of 16 countries most affected by the coronavirus,
including China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Italy and some other European
countries have been banned from entering Armenia. The Armenian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has urged Armenian citizens to refrain from traveling to foreign
countries. Under the terms of Armenia’s state-of-emergency rule, Armenian
citizens can leave the country by plane, but will have to be placed under 14-day
quarantine upon return.
The Armenian Apostolic Church, which began to conduct all liturgies behind
closed doors and limited other services following the declaration of the state
of emergency in Armenia, has called for a “national day of prayer” over the
coronavirus pandemic on March 18.
“We invite everyone to join together in private prayer – from wherever they are
located at the time – to ask the Lord to guide the world and our people to
overcome this tribulation in a spirit of unity and mutual support,” His Holiness
Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, said in his
appeal earlier this week.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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