Health Minister Arsen Torosyan issued a statement saying:

“Dear Compatriots,

As the geography of the new coronavirus outbreaks spreads, the interdepartmental commission to combat it makes decisions in line with the situation.

Many professional factors are taken into account in the decision-making process, without which decisions will be wrong and will do more harm to us all than to our benefit.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in constant contact with their counterparts for international synchronization of outbreak actions because isolated actions cannot be effective. The international mechanisms for the fight against infectious diseases in the modern world imply such synchronous actions.

Before doing so, I would like to draw your attention to the unnecessary and artificial tension of the situation and to deriving dividends from it, which I consider unacceptable.

Our Ministry NCDC, Armenia / National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, RA Health and Labor Inspectorate / HLIB.am have sufficient professional and technical potential to respond adequately to infectious diseases.

Please follow the official news feed and avoid provocations.”