Minister of Health of Armenia Arsen Torosyan today went live on Facebook and declared the following:

“People often ask me why the government doesn’t oblige or encourage the use of face masks, and I have often responded that face masks are mainly for medical workers and people who either have the coronavirus or are infected with acute respiratory viruses. However, along with access to a lot of information about the disease, there is new advice for all citizens around the world, and that is to wear a face mask, but due to other considerations. I repeat that this disease is transmitted by touching surfaces and then touching the mouth, eyes and nose. In this case, face masks mainly help us not touch our mouths or noses with our hands unconsciously. By washing our hands correctly, in hot water and for a long time, we can prevent penetration of the virus into our respiratory tracts,” the minister said.

The minister added that since a shortage of face masks is noticeable around the world, and even though people in Armenia have started sewing face masks and the price of face masks remains relatively high, the World Health Organization has decided to recommend that people wear masks sewn at home or masks made from cloth.