Armenia moving to make wearing face masks mandatory

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is going to make it mandatory for citizens to wear a face mask when leaving their homes.

Pashinyan on Wednesday, May 13 strolled through the streets of Yerevan and revealed in a Facebook live that the state of emergency will be extended for a second time.

The Prime Minister urged citizens to practice social distancing and said that the government's goal is not to keep people trapped in their homes, but to make them adhere to safety rules.

He said that the requirement to wear face masks in public was not introduced earlier because the country could face a shortage of masks.

Now, he says, the production of face masks in the country is on the rise, and expressed hope that the price for masks will drop gradually.

Armenia has eased most restrictions imposed under the state of emergency, a measure extended until May 14.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia grew by 180 to reach 3718 on Wednesday, according to information provided by the Health Ministry. So far, 1500 people have recovered, 48 have died from the coronavirus in the country, while 21 others carrying the virus have died from other causes.