YEREVAN. – It has been a week since the Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspectorate of Armenia has sent relevant notifications to its provincial departments, informing the heads of passenger transport companies that the requirements for epidemiological safety will be tightened. Yelena Zohrabyan, the press secretary of this inspectorate, told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am, when asked whether the competent state structures intend to take measures in connection with the violation of the rule on wearing face masks, which is more widespread outside the capital Yerevan.

According to her, the Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspectorate has resumed the monitoring of public transport throughout the country. "Intensive monitoring has already started in Yerevan, in various administrative districts of the capital, as the problem of public transport overcrowding is especially acute in Yerevan itself," said Zohrabyan.

In response to the objection that, as a rule, the monitoring over the observance of restrictive measures is much lower in Armenia’s provinces, and people there, being potential carriers of an infection, easily use public transport and reach the capital without any difficulty, the spokesperson of the aforesaid inspectorate admitted that such a problem does exist. "Our provincial offices will also receive relevant orders and instructions. Monitoring will be conducted over both regular transportation and irregular—taxis," Yelena Zohrabyan assured.

Also, she stated that if the vehicle is overcrowded, the traffic police officers can stop it and demand that the passengers leave the vehicle. Thus, in the case of public transport, the company responsible for this transport will be fined for violating safety requirements. There will be fines also for the absence of disinfectants on public transport.

Moreover, both passengers and drivers will be fined for not wearing face masks.

Zohrabyan spoke also about the situation in the Yerevan subway system where in recent weeks, according to Armenian News-NEWS.am’s observations, face masks are not worn en masse amid complete inaction of the police. According to the press secretary Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspectorate, face masks are mandatory when entering the subway, and police officers will monitor this.

Yelena Zohrabyan stressed that all these measures are connected with the increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus in Armenia. The data on the number of infected people was provided by the Ministry of Health, which insisted on tightening the respective monitoring.