Infected Individuals Not Receiving Treatment to Be Transferred from Hospitals to Hotels

The Armenian government is facing the challenge of effectively managing hospital capacities, with patients currently in hospitals not receiving any treatment. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this during a government meeting, adding that these patients should be accommodated in hotels.

“These patients have been diagnosed with coronavirus, but their condition is mild and they are not receiving any treatment. Their presence in the hospital is unjustifiable. Today, in a discussion with Mr. Avinyan and Mr. Torosyan, we decided that for mild cases, which are essentially the majority, we will try to work with hotels to accommodate them there while ensuring their food and other needs are met. We need to continue this policy. This is also beneficial for the economy, as hotels are currently empty. There will, of course, be certain complexities, hotels may fear for the future competitiveness of their brand, but they are obliged to periodically disinfect their rooms. There may be many cases where people with various illnesses are currently residing in those hotels. Nothing bad will happen to those rooms even after the coronavirus, especially if they are disinfected afterward,” Pashinyan said, as reported by Armenpress.

Health Minister Arsen Torosyan noted that clear guidelines would be issued, and today, seven locations where people are isolated are undergoing disinfection. The Prime Minister tasked officials with negotiating with hotels to establish a price that cannot be market-based. Pashinyan emphasized that under the state of emergency, they have the opportunity to resolve the issue through administrative decision, but they will not go down that route: “We will negotiate with hotels and agree on a certain price,” he said.

There are currently 290 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Armenia.