Drivers' Concerns Regarding Today's Government Decision and the Prime Minister's Remarks

Today at the government meeting, newly appointed police chief Vahe Ghazaryan presented the issue of setting the maximum number of electronic reports that can be submitted regarding the same vehicle by the same individual registered in a specially designed state property system per month and per year, as well as the types of violations recorded via a mobile application. The proposal establishes that a maximum of 3 electronic reports can be submitted monthly and a maximum of 30 annually regarding the same vehicle by the same individual registered in the mobile application of the specially designed system.

The Prime Minister noted that one aspect was overlooked, namely not wearing masks when there is more than one person in a vehicle. However, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that there are certain violations that cannot be recorded in this manner.

Prime Minister Pashinyan inquired about the privacy issues that may arise from this and added that we are in a situation where this needs to be increased.

In response to the Prime Minister’s observation, Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan stated that photographing a person in a specific vehicle, at a specific time, in a specific location, and collecting such personal data is problematic. "It would be better if they wear masks; they won’t be recognized, regardless of what relationships exist. Additionally, this is a further incentive for anti-epidemic rules to be followed. If people are traveling by car and do not want to be recognized, using a mask that covers their face is a great way to do that," replied Nikol Pashinyan.

The Justice Minister indicated that they would study the issue and seek a solution, and the project was adopted with that understanding.

After the government meeting and the decision's adoption, citizens called the Auroranews editorial office to express their concerns regarding the decision. A number of significant and problematic questions can be highlighted from these grievances and concerns.

1. If the control will be conducted via a mobile application managed by the traffic police for the purpose of recording traffic violations, how is a citizen wearing or not wearing a mask considered a traffic violation? In general, wearing or not wearing a mask does not constitute a traffic regulation. It should be noted that photographing can only take place if there is a traffic violation.

2. According to the government, the control through the mobile application can come into effect from January 1, 2021. In this case, drivers are left wondering if the Prime Minister thinks we will wear masks indefinitely.

3. Taxi drivers have also expressed separate concerns, stating that passengers sometimes remove their masks in the car and refuse to wear them, resulting in fines for the drivers. Is it not possible to regulate and equalize this issue?

Auroranews will present information related to the project in its upcoming articles.