On 20 March, the Armenian parliament adopted amendments to the quarantine law with a plan to administer administrative and criminal liability for violating the requirements of quarantine and self-isolation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Fines up to 500,000 drams (about $1,000) will be imposed on those who break the requirements of isolation and that violations resulting in mass infection be punishable by up to five years in prison. Under the package, dissemination of information that may provoke panic during state-of-emergency periods is to be subject to a fine of up to 300,000 drams (about $600).
Many of the country’s economic activities have also been restricted. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, who is the coordinator of the state of emergency, stated that shopping centers, excluding businesses that sell food, beverages, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products; bars, night clubs, dance floors; screening of movies; casinos; bookmakers and gambling offices were all to be banned from operating. The country’s authorities also put temporary restrictions on the export of a number of medical items and equipment needed for doctors and the general public in order to combat the spread of the virus.
Avinyan also spoke about the government's plans for a worst-case scenario in the country regarding the virus. "If the situation… gets out of hand, as happened in many developed countries, we have set up specific venues in each province [that have]… ventilation systems where we can quickly place beds and treat large numbers of people under hospital conditions; but this is in the worst-case scenario,” he said.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also revealed the government's main policy directions during this period. He said that the decisions are divided into two categories: prevention of the spread of coronavirus and the economic situation in the country. “We are already preparing the package to provide preferential loans to companies that will need support to pay salaries to their employees, carry out their tax duties, import raw materials, organize production, and make strategic investments. Banks may not be too keen on giving extensive loans to farmers under these programs. We have decided that the government should have some involvement. For individuals who will be involved in the rural strategy programs we propose, the government will first zero the interests and finance up to 30% in the case of individuals. We expect that with these programs, all citizens with a good credit history will easily get loans," he said. He also stated that assistance would be provided to those who become unemployed due to the virus. Pashinyan also presented on his Facebook page a draft package of first measures to be taken to neutralize the economic consequences of the coronavirus.
Some private actors in the country began donating in the purpose to stop the spread of the virus. Ameriabank allocated 20 million drams to support the medical staff of the Nork Infectious Clinical Hospital, while the Armenian businessman and Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsakuryan allocated 60 million drams to combat the spread of the virus.
There are 194 confirmed cases in the country so far.
