André Andonian, Managing Partner at McKinsey & Company Japan and Board Member of McKinsey & Company Inc. Global, spoke about the possible economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic for the global economy.
By Ani Paitjan
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called random phone numbers in order to talk with Armenia’s residents on March 27.
He stated that his objective was to maintain contact with citizens and understand what their situations are in this period of crisis and isolation due to the pandemic.
“It’s very important to know how citizens are feeling and living during this state of emergency and how they’re resisting the restrictions.(…) This helps me to have a better understanding of the problems and to be more specific when it comes to creating packages for social and economic assistance,” he said.
On the same day, the Ministry of Defense announced that two more servicemen of Armenia’s Armed Forces tested positive for coronavirus.
Three other servicemen were already diagnosed with the virus on March 26. The two new cases of coronavirus in the army were immediately hospitalized and, according to Shushan Stepanyan, Press Secretary of the Minister of Defense, their health condition is satisfactory.
“None of the five infected servicemen have pneumonia, one had a slight fever, the other four servicemen have no symptoms,” wrote Stepanyan on her Facebook page.
The Press Secretary also stated that the people who were in close contact with the infected servicemen were isolated at a special location where their needs are being catered for.
The period of quarantine of 40 Armenian citizens ended, their tests were negative for coronavirus and they returned to their homes on March 26, according to Health Minister Arsen Torosyan. In total, 28 people have recovered from the virus as of March 27.
“I would also like to add that ten more people tested negative and left the hospital. We can consider that they recovered,” said Torosyan.
Media were informed on March 26 that a mother and her two-month-old child are infected by the virus.
“The child has no symptoms at all, only the mother had a temperature for two days, however, she does not have any symptoms either. They are currently at hospital and being monitored by doctors,” clarified Torosyan.
159 active novel coronavirus cases in Armenia
10:08,
YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. 24 new novel coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in Armenia, bringing the total number of infections as of Saturday morning (March 21) to 160, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. All patients are in satisfactory condition.
So far, one patient has already recovered. He was discharged on March 15th.
The remaining are hospitalized.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
18:17,
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan City Hall will provide the food stored in the community kindergartens to the socially needy families, the City Hall said on Facebook.
“Taking into account the current state of emergency in the country Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan discussed with Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan the issue of providing the food stored in the community kindergartens to the needy families. The food will be provided to the administrations of heads of administrative districts, and their social protection departments will distribute the food to the needy families based on priority”, the statement said.
On March 16 Armenia declared a 30-day state of emergency to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state of emergency is effective until April 14, at 17:00. As of now, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia is 64, one patient has recovered.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
13:34,
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan visited on March 9 the military units located in the southeastern section of the border, the defense ministry told Armenpress.
The Chief of the General Staff got acquainted with the process of conducting a new complex fire-fighting exercise and gave respective tasks.
Artak Davtyan also visited military positions to get acquainted with the situation in the border, as well as the engineering activities in the frontline.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
09:36, 3 March, 2020
YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. The recent successful surgery and treatment of 3-year-old Iraqi Yazidi Arzinda in Yerevan inspire the organizers to continue this initiative.
The initiative of organizing the surgery and treatment of Iraqi Yazidi children in Armenia belongs to Member of Parliament Rustam Bakoyan. The lawmaker told Armenpress that with this initiative they want to make this program continuous.
“As you know the first Yazidi child transported from Iraq to Armenia underwent a surgery in the Yerevan’s Nork-Marash medical center. Currently Arzinda is recovering. We are waiting for the second and third children. The doctors of the medical center are already aware of the health condition of the second child, and currently we are solving the issue of the documents in order to organize the child’s transportation”, the MP said.
The initiative was born when Rustam Bakoyan visited Iraq after elected as lawmaker. As he says, while becoming a member of Parliament he was thinking of being useful to the Yazidi people who not only live in Armenia but also around the world. In particular to help the Yazidis of Sinjar who faced genocide in 2014. During his visit to Iraq the Armenian MP examined the problems, met with the Speaker of Parliament and the government representatives.
“After getting acquainted with the situation in Sinjar I understood that assistance is needed in the healthcare sector. In particular, to provide medical aid to the Yazidi refugees. Upon my arrival to Armenia I met with Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan, firstly we discussed the issue of sending doctors to Iraq. The minister approved this idea. We were taking concrete actions on this path, but, unfortunately, the developments in the domestic political situation of Iraq led to killings of hundreds of citizens, so there was a concern. Thus, our initiative on this part stopped”, he said. But the MP says he needed to take some action, therefore he came up with a new proposal to organize the transportation of children to from Iraq to Armenia and conduct their surgery, treatment here. This time as well Minister Torosyan approved the initiative and expressed readiness to support. Nork-Marash medical center also joined the initiative. The funding of the initiative is carried out thanks to 2019 Aurora Prize laureate Mirza Dinnayi and his Luftbrücke Irak (Air Bridge Iraq) organization.
“Here I want to state that the cost of the surgery in Armenia is quite low, is almost half. If a similar surgery was organized in Europe, it would cost higher”, he said, adding that the doctors in Armenia do everything to organize the surgery of kids at the highest level. Those children are selected who do not have an opportunity to undergo a surgery in Iraq and have the most difficult health problems. Those children are selected who need an urgent surgery. The MP said it there are cases conditioned by other diseases and it wouldn’t be possible to treat them in Iraq, he is again ready to assist and transport the patient to Yerevan.
“I can state that the Yazidi community-state cooperation is already established. This initiative, the assistance of Armenian specialists received great reactions within the Yazidi community. Let me add that many people and organizations apply for providing assistance”, MP Rustam Bakoyan said, adding that they are open to cooperation.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan