On 1 June, following the Covid-19 positive diagnosis of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (Caucasus Watch reported), opposition and independent lawmakers expressed serious concern about the continuing rapid spread of the virus in the country saying that the authorities should do more to contain the epidemic.
The independent Armenian parliamentarian Arman Babajanyan visited the Nork hospital in Yerevan and stated that the facility was increasingly overwhelmed by the growing influx of people infected with the virus. “They have been instructed not to hospitalize patients whose temperature does not exceed 38 degrees Celsius. The people are sent home to be monitored by family doctors and regular polyclinics. These people are on the verge of developing pneumonia, and with such a fever this virus can very quickly lead to pneumonia. The doctors are very worried that [coronavirus-related] deaths will soon be mainly recorded at homes because family doctors and polyclinics will not be able to quickly react to so many appeals to provide necessary medical aid at homes,” said Babajanyan.
The opposition Prosperous Armenia parliamentarian Naira Zohrabyan criticized the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. “I have very credible information coming from doctors that the situation is becoming uncontrollable especially in terms of the number of coronavirus cases and deaths,” she said, adding that she herself is afraid of contracting the virus inside the Armenian parliament given the lack of physical distancing since the start of the crisis. She said that parliament leadership should consider allowing lawmakers’ remote participation in parliament sessions and its standing committees.
Armenia’s Health Minister Arsen Torosyan said that some 440 patients with confirmed coronavirus were in serious condition. In the past 24 hours the country reported 517 new infection cases and 19 deaths, bringing the total number of infected persons in Armenia to 10009 and 158 reported deaths.
Even before being diagnosed positive for Covid-19, Pashinyan also voiced his concerns over the rapid spread of the virus in the country, stating that Armenia had outnumbered France and Iran in terms of coronavirus infection cases per one million people. “If this infection rate continues, Armenia will have as many coronavirus cases per one million as Italy. Regardless of the proportion of symptomatic or asymptomatic manifestations of the disease, all this leads to an increase in severe, extremely serious cases and death,” he said.
Despite the very worrying signals from various political figures in the country, the Armenian government continues to keep Armenian economy open. Armenia’s deputy Prime Minister and commandant for the state of emergency Tigran Avinyan even announced that air travel in the country is thought to be reopened in mid-July 2020.
