Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 04.09.2020:

  • As of 11am on Friday, 190 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of cases has reached 44,461.

Also, four more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 891 cases.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 402, the total respective number so far is 39,257, and the number of people currently being treated is 4,041—which is a drop by 217 in one day.

A total of 2,363 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Armenia over the past one day, and 213,644 tests have been performed to date.

  • Violation of the rules of isolation, self-isolation or the use of personal protective equipment during quarantine will be fined 300 to 500 thousand drams, or be penalized by imprisonment for up to one month—and with the removal of the right to hold office for up to two years or to engage in certain activities. This is stated in the draft which the government on Friday submitted during the debates in the National Assembly of Armenia.

In the meantime, the National Assembly Friday passed—in the first reading—the bill on declaring quarantine in Armenia.

Accordingly, 80 MPs voted for this proposed law, whereas 28 others—against.

[UPDATE] With 70 votes ‘in favor’ and 19 ‘against’, the National Assembly of Armenia voted in favor of the possibility of declaring a lockdown in the country in the second and final reading.

Earlier, the court had granted the investigator’s other motion to arrest Gor Malakyan’s brother, Edgar Malakyan, who will be in custody for a month.

The footballer Malakyan brothers were released from a police precinct.

The footballer brothers are charged under the Criminal Code articles on using violence against a representative of the authorities and on committing hooliganism.

At around 11 p.m. on August 30, the 26- and 29-year-old footballer brothers had had an altercation with the police in downtown Yerevan.

  • The American dollar’s (USD) exchange rate against the Armenian dram (AMD) comprised AMD 488/$1 in Armenia on Friday; this is up by AMD 0.52 from Thursday, according to the official website of the Central Bank of Armenia.

The exchange rate for one euro was AMD 578.43 (up by AMD 2.08), that of one UK pound totaled AMD 648.99 (up by AMD 1.76), and the rate of one Russian ruble made up AMD 6.51 (up by AMD 0.04) in the country.

In addition, one gram of silver, gold and platinum amounted to AMD 422.05, AMD 30,444.81 and AMD 14,089.23, respectively.