On 19 August Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan chaired a regular sitting of the Commandant office. As the Information Department at the President’s Office reported, Commandant, Zhirayr Mirzoyan presented the current situation with the novel coronavirus in the republic. He noted that on the previous day a new hotbed of coronavirus infection was detected in one of the catering facilities of the capital and now corresponding steps are taken to identify the circle of potential contacts of the infected people.
Referring to the issue of organizing the classes in the educational institutions in the new academic year, the Commandant mentioned that in case of manageability of the pandemic situation, classes in comprehensive schools will start on September 14 and those for undergraduate students on September 1 in compliance with all anti-epidemic rules. The online mode of education will be maintained for students in the Master's program. According to Zhirayr Mirzoyan, activities towards providing the schools with necessary desinfection means and thermometers are already being carried out.
Artsakh Republic Minister of Healthcare Ararat Ohanjanyan presented the process of detecting those infected with the novel coronavirus and the health condition of the citizens receiving treatment. According to the Minister, 11 citizens are being treated at the moment.
President Harutyunyan instructed the heads of corresponding structures to strengthen the fight against the pandemic, tighten the control and continue taking measures towards keeping the anti-epidemic rules.
Referring to the cases of violation of anti-epidemic rules by several members of the Government, the President stressed that he had severely reprimanded the heads of a range of institutions. He also qualified as incomprehensible and unacceptable the behavior of those political figures who attend the meetings of National Assembly without face masks, while during the pre-election campaign demanded from the authorities to postpone the elections due to the pandemic risks or defiantly distributed face masks to the citizens.
Arayik Harutyunyan emphasized that it will be difficult to succeed in preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus by penalizing only workers of the state system. "To carry out an effective fight against the pandemic in the context of the resumption of the activities of comprehensive schools and universities, it is necessary to combine the efforts of all citizens. The risks associated with the coronavirus have not diminished, and therefore it is necessary to continue to strictly follow all the established rules," noted the president.