Armenian public figures urge government to extend emergency lockdown

Several Armenian public figures have joined in an initiative  appealing to the government to revise the lockdown restrictions imposed on March 16 in the wake of the spreading coronavirus inefection.

In a recently released statement, they called for measures to extend the national emergency for a fortnight, citing the rapid increase in the number of cases involving also medical workers.

The joint appeal was signed by Vahe Hovhannisyan, the founder of the Alternative Projects Group, David Harutyunyan, a former minister of justice currently acting as the CEO of Luys Foundation, Armen Gevorgyan, a former deputy prime minister of Armenia, Elinar Vardanyan, a member of the Alternative Projects Group and Arpine Hovhannisyan, a former minister of justice who now heads the Legal Education and Oversight NGO.

The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 162 cases of coronavirus earlier today, the highest daily increase in the number of confirmed patients in Armenia.

The Government eased the restrictions starting from May 4, allowing the operation of stores and outdoor public facilities (cafes, restaurants, etc.) and authorizing the free movement of citizens across the republic. But the ban on public transport will continue until May 14, the  end of the government declared  state of emergency.  

The group blames the authorities for a failure to ensure proper testing procedures, equip hospitals with a sufficient number of beds, expand the opportunities of isolation, establish stricter rules of public conduct (wearing masks in public places, observing social distancing rules, etc.), organize public awareness campaigns and enforce mechanisms of proper oversight.  

It urges the government to abandon the policy of loosening the lockdown rules and move instead to tightening the restrictions.

"Public health and the people's well-being cannot be subject to a political bargaining or political ambitions. We call upon all those who share our concerns to join this initiative with a vocal public support," reads the statement.

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