Armenia extends emergency restrictions till April 10 - PM

Armenia is extending emergency restrictions for another 10 days, until April 10, in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

The tiny former Soviet republic of around 3 million people had reported 532 cases of coronavirus as of Tuesday, the highest number in the South Caucasus region. Three people have died and 31 have recovered. "We are doing this (extending the emergency restrictions) to keep the situation under control," Pashinyan said during a live session on Facebook.

Armenia on March 16 declared a month-long state of emergency and later tightened emergency restrictions to include shutting most businesses and restricting free movement. Only grocery stores, pharmacies and banks are allowed to remain open. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said the government might tighten the restrictions further in the coming 10 days.

"We should become more effective and will involve other (law enforcement) bodies in addition to the police controlling the process more effectively," Avinyan told a briefing. In neighbouring Azerbaijan, the death toll from coronavirus rose to five on Tuesday. The country has reported 297 cases of the virus and 26 patients have recovered.

Azerbaijan also shut the metro system in the capital Baku on Tuesday until April 20. Another South Caucasus country, Georgia, reported 110 cases of coronavirus as of Tuesday with no deaths and 21 patients recovered.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)