Touch wood! No coronavirus cases in Armenia – Nikol Pashinyan

In a recently shared public post on Facebook, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the problem of the novel Chinese coronavirus infection (COVID-19), reminding the population of the general rules of hygiene to avoid catching the virus.

″Touch the wood! no cases of the coronavirus disease have been registered in Armenia as yet,″ he said, calling for observance of the rules posted in his profile.

In a poster released earlier today, the Ministry of Health called attention to the main symptoms of the disease (fever, cough, heavy breathing), emphasizing that the infection has a 14-day latency period.

The Ministry warned in particular:

-          To be cautious when travelling abroad, taking into consideration the epidemiological statistics in the country of destination;

-          To maximum avoid contacts with infected individuals or use masks (in case of the impossibility to stay isolated);

-          To wash hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers;

-          To keep the mouth and nose shut with compostable napkins when coughing or sneezing;

-          To avoid self-treatment and turn to a specialist in case of observing influenza-like symptoms.

The latest reports suggest that the toll in the deadly virus rose to 2,788 in mainland China, with the total number of the cases being 78,824. An estimated 36,000 have recovered and been discharged from hospital. Some 7,952 patients are still reported to be in a grave condition.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday urged world countries to prepare for a pandemic as the disease spread to other countries, including also the European continent.

Neighboring Georgia and Iran also reported coronavirus cases in the past weeks.

At an emergency meeting earlier this week, a special government panel tasked with preventing the coronavirus infection in Armenia decided to suspend the Iranian citizens' entry into the country through the southern land border. Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said on Facebook this Wednesday that they had dispatched a specialist to Tehran to check the arriving air passengers' condition.

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