Weekly Update
29 MARCH 2020
- On March 28, as of 10 am 43 new cases of infection with COVID-19 have been reported, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention informed. In total, as of March 28 372 people have been infected with coronavirus. 2172 tests were negative. At the moment, 343 people are receiving treatment. 28 patients have recovered. 1 patient died, Lragir.am informed.
- The ANCA welcomed confirmation, shared today with the ANCA by the State Department, that the global U.S. COVID-19 emergency aid package – which will provide $274 million in resources to 64 of the world's most at-risk countries will include $1.1 million for Armenia. ArmInfo was informed about this in the press service of the Armenian National Committee of America. Earlier this week, ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian encouraged U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy "to ensure that needed U.S. foreign assistance resources are directed to help Armenia deal with this health emergency, in cooperation with Armenia's Ministry of Health and in support of other public health stakeholders, such as the American University of Armenia's Center for Health Services Research and social service organizations like the Armenian Relief Society." Hamparian's March 24th letter to Ambassador Tracy went on to note that "Funds appropriated by Congress can play a vital role at this crucial moment, as can U.S. technical assistance in public health reporting, data collection, and capacity building." The additional U.S. health assistance will help Armenia prepare laboratory systems, activate case finding and event-based surveillance, support technical experts for response and preparedness, and bolster risk communication.
- RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) reported, Armenian banks have agreed to suspend loan repayments for tens of thousands of individual borrowers and businesses hit hard by economic fallout from by the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Friday. “The volume of the restructured loans is around 200 billion drams ($404 million),” Pashinian wrote on Facebook. They were borrowed by around 97,000 individuals and nearly 3,400 local firms, he said. The Armenian government last week imposed strict restrictions on people’s movement and ordered the closure of most firms to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown has left scores of Armenians facing a loss of jobs and income.
- The US now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country, with more than 85,500 positive tests, BBC reported. According to the latest figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, the US has overtaken China (81,782 cases) and Italy (80,589). But with almost 1,300 Covid-19-related fatalities, the US death toll lags behind China (3,291) and Italy (8,215). The grim milestone came as President Donald Trump predicted the nation would get back to work "pretty quickly".
- TASS informed, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed G20 leaders introduce a moratorium on various restrictions placed on countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, he said, speaking at the G20 summit held as a video conference on Thursday. "Much was said now about the need to ensure supply chains are not interrupted, it is undeniably crucial. However, it is equally vital to create the so-called ‘green corridors’ free of trade wars and sanctions to exchange medicine, food, equipment and technology during the crisis," he said. Putin underlined that G20 countries "ideally" "should introduce a moratorium in solidarity on restrictions placed on essential goods as well as financial transactions to purchase them."
- REUTERS reported, a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with the coronavirus died in Armenia on Thursday, the Health Ministry’s spokeswoman said, reporting the country’s first death related to the virus. The patient had coronary heart disease as well as other underlying conditions. Armenia, a country of around 3 million people, had reported 290 coronavirus cases as of Thursday, the highest number among countries in the South Caucasus region. Eighteen patients have recovered. The country’s Defence Ministry reported on Thursday that three servicemen had tested positive for coronavirus.
- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan considers the January-February 2020 economic indicators as a proof of the competitiveness and justification of the country’s policy, ARMENPRESS reported. “In February as well we had amazing economic indicators. But we record these figures just as a proof of the competitiveness and justification of our policy. Now we are obviously in a phase of decline and need to apply other development scenarios at this coronavirus and post-coronavirus stage. These scenarios should be more ambitious. We must double our GDP in the next five years. In the previous scenario achieving such result was not possible. Crisis, although it creates ongoing problems, but also opens new and great opportunities”, the PM said on Facebook.
- Armenian Deputy Prime Minister, commandant Tigran Avinyan held a consultation on the upcoming steps of Armenia amid the coronavirus pandemic, NEWS.am said. According to him, only primary services, shops, and pharmacies would work within seven days. “The measures we have generally taken up to this point have been effective and the aim of a more stringent seven-day regime will be to maintain control and continue to develop tools that will allow us to detect and prevent infection chains,” he said. He noted they would later share the list with new mechanisms to limit the movement of citizens across Armenia. The participants discussed in detail the constraints of economic activity, continuous preventive steps as well as upcoming steps.
- U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Monday the world body wants $2 billion to help poor countries combat coronavirus and warned that a massive, coordinated package would also be needed to deal with the pandemic’s social and economic impact around the world. “The package needs to make households be afloat, make businesses be afloat, keep societies being afloat,” Guterres told a virtual news conference. “This will require a double-digit of GDP (gross domestic product) support in the developed world and creating the conditions through the IMF (International Monetary Fund), through the swaps among central banks, through the creation of new facilities,” he said. So far more than 351,00 people have been infected and over 15,330 have died, according to a REUTERS tally.
- The Presidential Office informed, today, in Stepanakert President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had a meeting with the President of Artsakh Bako Sahakian. The Presidents of two Armenian states exchanged views on the most urgent topic of these days – the situation created by the spread of the new coronavirus and steps taken to prevent and contain the virus. In prevention of the spread of the coronavirus, they viewed as very important comprehension by the public and individuals of the gravity of the situation, people’s alertness and responsibility as well as cooperation with international partners. Presidents Armen Sarkissian and Bako Sahakian discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the cooperation between Armenia and Artsakh. Armen Sarkissian expressed confidence that Bako Sahakian would continue to contribute his rich experience acquired during his active work, state and public service for the development of the Republic of Artsakh and advancement of our nation.
Sources: https://www.president.am, https://www.reuters.com/, https://tass.com, https://www.bbc.com/, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://www.lragir.am/en/, https://www.azatutyun.am/en, https://arminfo.info/.