Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily of top news as of 16.03.2020:

·       Thirty coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Armenia, health minister Arsen Torosyan wrote on his Facebook. Meanwhile, the first patient diagnosed with coronavirus in Armenia has already recovered.

According to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, a case has been reported in one of Yerevan’s production enterprises.

And most of the cases are connected with the woman who participated in an engagement party in the town of Etchmiadzin.

Meantime, 61 people from the school in Etchmiadzin town have been isolated in Armenia’s Tsaghkadzor as one of the students has tested positive for coronavirus. He was among those present at the engagement party.

Given the tense situation in Etchmiadzin town, Pashinyan asked residents of Etchmiadzin town to use only three out of the 27 roads to leave the town as other roads will be closed.

·       Later Sunday Armenian PM made an important statement via live broadcast.

According to Pashinyan the government will discuss on Monday the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in Armenia.

And today on Monday, during his livestream, the PM noted that “a state of emergency, even if declared, will not change our lives much. Only tighter surveillance will be set at the more epidemic risk zones.”

·       By the way, PM has also referred to the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments scheduled to be held in Armenia on April 5.

According to him, no political goal can be higher than public health. Thus they will discuss the situation in the near future and make a final decision whether to hold the referendum or not.

·       Later on Sunday, the Armenian health ministry noted that one of the cases has been recorded in Armenia’s Meghri town - the citizen has come from Italy. And PM Pashinyan said he had personally contacted the resident of Meghri town diagnosed with coronavirus.

Today on Monday, the PM noted he passed a new test and the result is negative. The PM said he was returning to Yerevan from Sevan. Earlier, Nikol Pashinyan and his family have isolated themselves at their mansion in Sevan as on March 7 PM’s wife Anna Hakobyan had had a meeting with the wife of the President of Brazil. Earlier it was reported the aide to the President of Brazil had tested positive for coronavirus and the President has also been tested which later came back negative.

·       Meanwhile, a charter flight from Rome has already arrived in Yerevan, said Armenian health minister Arsen Torosyan.

According to him, there were no people running a fever upon arrival.

As Armenian government’s report said, 67 Armenian citizens have arrived in Yerevan on board a charter flight. "They will be on a 14-day quarantine,” the government's statement reads.

·       Meanwhile, ex-deputy head of the Armenian Investigative Committee Vahagn Harutyunyan wanted over the criminal case on March 1 events, was detained on Saturday in Moscow. The issue of his extradition is set to be decided. He is charged with falsifying evidence within the aforesaid March 2008 criminal case.

·       Armenian chess grandmaster Levon Aronian’s wife got into an accident on Saturday.

As Astghik MC intensive care unit head told Armenian News - NEWS.am, she is in a critical but stable condition: vital organs are not damaged.

According to the MC representative, nothing threatens her life.