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On May 4, the RA NA Standing Committee on Health Care and Social Affairs convened an extraordinary sitting to debate the negative consequences of the pandemic in the social and health care spheres conditioned by the new type of coronavirus, the vision of their mitigation events and the road map.

The officials responsible in the RA legislative and executive bodies presented the situation in the republic, touched upon the necessity of making legislative amendments, as well as noted the works aimed at overcoming the disease and the mitigation of its various consequences.

The speakers also answered the MPs’ questions.

The Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Health Care and Social Affairs Narek Zeynalyan made a report on the theme The Necessity of Legislative Reforms in Terms of the Rise of Efficiency of Facing the Pandemic.

The Committee Chair underlined that the disease has emerged the non- registered workers in Armenia, which are also under danger of poverty.

Touching upon the works to be done he highlighted the preservation of the jobs and the creation of the new ones, having on the basis the revision of the employment programmes and their adjustment to the changing world.

According to the legislative body, it is necessary to make redistributions and amendments in the state budget, as well as in a number of laws. It was noted that the Committee worked out two packages for the management of the possible risks caused because of coronavirus penetration and countering actions, which were sent to the Government and the Commandant’s Office, as well as several draft laws, which were put into circulation.

The RA Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan delivered a speech in the framework of the theme On Medical Aid to the Population during New Coronavirus Pandemic, the Period Following It, and the Regular Procedure of the Sanitary-Epidemiological Events, as well as the Main Approaches of the Provision of the Medical Workers’ Protection.

He has informed that at the moment 121 new cases have been registered, 35 are seriously ill, 36 are newly recovered, 4 new deaths, 1393 people are in recovery phase, in general 25.000 citizens have been tested.

The number of the total confirmed cases is 2507, the number of the recovered ones is 1071. Until now there are 39 deaths, four of them have died from other diseases, also having coronavirus.

There are 350 free beds in hospitals, some patients ‘are cured’ in the hotels.

Arsen Torosyan has informed that the Government has initiated legislative amendments related to the spread of the coronavirus disease, the MPs’ authored bills are also at the phase of study.

The Minister has noted that Armenia has no lack of protective means at this moment, works are underway to make masks and overalls, as the coronavirus will not go away soon.

Arsen Torosyan called on the public to always and everywhere follow the hygienic behavior rules, today and also later avoid he spread of the diseases. In response to the voiced question, the Minister has said that there are doubts on the disease to be repeating.

Touching upon the some spread viewpoints that there is no coronavirus disease, he simply highlighted rising the educational qualification of those expressing such opinion for not spreading such absurd ideas.

The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arman Udumyan referred to the employment and social support issues in the framework of the theme under debate.

The Head of the RA Health Care and Labor Inspectorate Hakob Avagyan related to the new strategy of control towards the protection of sanitary-epidemiological security and the practical events concerning the coronavirus pandemic and the works done during the period following it and current works. In the phase of questions the MPs related to the issue of legal protection of the doctors in other places, and in that connection the Minister Arsen Torosyan made clarifications in that connection. He assured that any medical worker’s right would not be violated.