Armenia Reports Significant Drop of New Coronavirus Cases

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday reported a significant drop in new cases of coronavirus in Armenia and said his government will consider easing a nationwide lockdown if a downward trend continues in the coming days.

Pashinyan said that only 11 more people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily increase in more than two weeks which brought the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 833.

“Today’s figures are encouraging for us,” Pashinyan said in a video address to the nation livestreamed on Facebook. “We can’t be certain because we have to also look at tomorrow’s figures. But if hopes raised by these figures materialize … they should inspire all of us to remain maximally disciplined and comply with restrictions for one more week.”

“And if our theory materializes, it will mean that starting from next Monday we will be able to think about easing the [quarantine] regime,” added the premier.

Pashinyan also reported that another person died from COVID-19 late on Sunday, raising to 8 Armenia’s death toll from the virus. The premier said the 68-year-old man also suffered from diabetes and other pre-existing diseases.

According to the Armenian Ministry of Health, five other infected people recovered from coronavirus in the past day. The total number of such recoveries thus rose to 62.