Armenian prime minister, wife announce self-isolation as confirmed cases of coronavirus record growth  

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday that the confirmed cases of the novel Chinese coronavirus (COVID-19) infection have increased by five, bringing the total number of the registered patients to 13. 

″The bad news is that five more poeple have tested positive for coronavirus from among the citizens quarantined in Echmiadzin. We thus now have 13 confirmed cases. They number of those isolated in Echmiadzin has increased to 100, and Echmiadzin now is under spotlight,″ he said in a Facebook live.

The premier said many of those quarantined insist on feeling well, adding that the Ministry of Justice will nonetheless urge them to undergo checkups to avoid possible risks.

″Doing a retrospective analysis, I now come to think at times that we probably fell short of certain steps. But as I am getting familiarized with the situation, I see that no potential actions could affect the situation, as the woman from Echmiadzin arrived in Armenia on February 29, the period we hadn't yet recorded a single case. Doctors from the Health Ministry's monitoring group repeatedly turned to her, but she concealed the diseased,″ he added.

Pashinyan said that he and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, are now in a self-isolation. Hakobyan has recently returned from Brazil where he had contacts with the wife of the country’s president, who is reported to have contracted the virus. The premier said they will undergo the necessary medical examinations and take the necessary measures to be on the safe side.