YEREVAN. – You bring an argument that does not fit into any logic. Ruben Rubinyan, a member of the majority My Step faction in parliament, said this during Friday’s special session of the National Assembly (NA), responding to the arguments by opposition MPs Edmon Marukyan and Naira Zohrabyan regarding the package of bills on making amendments and addenda to the law on ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological safety of the population and to the related laws.

As a result of the passing of these, the current coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia will no longer be extended after September 11.

According to Rubinyan, if entry to or exit from a country is prohibited during an epidemic, the one respective indicator is the anti-epidemic situation in that country. "If you are interested in opening the borders as soon as possible, you should be interested in the fact that the infection rates continue to fall as soon as possible. And for that, the measures that are being taken are necessary," he said.

To note, Edmon Marukyan—chairman of the opposition Bright Armenia Party and head of its parliamentary faction—and Naira Zohrabyan—a member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction—expressed concerns over the aforesaid draft laws. According to them, they contain unconstitutional provisions, and the term "quarantine" in them is concerning.

As reported earlier, the NA has already passed this law initiative in the first reading.

As per this package of bills introduced by the government, in case of spread of infectious diseases, outbreaks and emergencies in Armenia, the provincial governors or the mayor of Yerevan can declare quarantine at the corresponding administrative departments—and at the suggestion of the authorized state body: the Ministry of Justice.