Armenian Health Ministry to remove some of Covid-19 restrictions

YEREVAN, February 17. /ARKA/. The Armenian Ministry of Health is revising the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said at a press briefing on Thursday.

"At the moment our team of experts is analyzing what changes we should enforce from March 1. Next week we will announce which restrictions will remain in force and which will be removed," she said.

Avanesyan said that all the restrictions are temporary, being aimed at solving certain problems and achieving certain goals.

Starting from January 22 unvaccinated citizens and those with negative covid-19 test cannot visit public places and events in Armenia.

Earlier, the government reduced the period of self-isolation from 14 calendar days to 7 days for vaccinated citizens and to 10 days for non-vaccinated.

Starting December 1, working people in Armenia who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus must present a certificate valid for 72 hours to their employers every 7 days, confirming a negative PCR test.

On December 10, the Armenian parliament approved a bill that allows employers to fire employees for lack of a vaccination certificate or negative coronavirus test.

On December 23, 2021 Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruled that a Health Ministry’s requirement that unvaccinated employees must provide their employers with a certificate valid for 72 hours every 7 days confirming their negative PCR coronavirus test taken at their own expense runs counter the Constitution.

According to the ruling, the demand that employees take tests at their own expense contradicts parts 1 and 2 of Article 6, as well as Article 39 of the Constitution. The court decided that this requirement enforced by the Health Minister on August 20, 2021 is beyond the authority of the head of the agency. -0-