We should not resort to the lockdowns, and we must work in two directions. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government—and referring to the worsening coronavirus situation in Armenia.

"The first [is] the tightening of the rules for wearing [face] masks, and it is not ruled out that we will make new decisions here. Moreover, it is not ruled out that we will resort also to the need to wear [face] masks in open areas [as well]. This is done so that this way it is easier to oversee because if there is a person without a [face] mask, it means the work will be easier for the police and inspection bodies. The second—and most important—direction is vaccination. We have the capacity to vaccinate all citizens," he said.

The PM, however, informed with regret that at the moment there are more than a dozen criminal cases involving medical workers as defendants. "We have arrestees—if I am not mistaken, six people—in cases of giving fake vaccination certificates," Pashinyan noted.