Armenia uses resort town defunct hotel to quarantine 32 direct contacts of coronavirus patient

32 direct contacts of the first coronavirus patient in Armenia have been quarantined, Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan told a news conference.

He said the contacts of the patient will undergo the quarantine period at the defunct Golden Palace Hotel in Tsakhkadzor, a resort town in Armenia.

“According to the latest information the citizen who tested positive for the coronavirus doesn’t have any symptoms now, despite having fever at the time of seeking medical assistance. The patient’s wife tested negative,” the minister said.

Torosyan said all necessary countermeasures are being taken in the country.

He emphasized that it is the constitutional right of any citizen to return to their country, referring to the man having been flown in by the special flight from Iran on February 28.

He said there healthcare specialists accompanying the passengers of the flights, and everyone was provided with protective masks. None of the passengers had any symptoms upon screening and thus were sent home. Asked why all of the passengers weren’t quarantined at once, the minister said such actions aren’t proven to be effective.

“Passengers who arrived from Tehran exited the airport through a special exit. If a coronavirus infection is confirmed on an airplane, the standard procedure is to quarantine passengers seated on the same row and two rows in front and in back, and we are doing just that. The man who drove the patient and his wife home from the airport is also quarantined. He wasn’t a cab driver, as reported earlier,” he said, adding that the man was hospitalized by an ambulance and the first responders are also quarantined.

He reminded that Armenia began countermeasures since January 22, and all actions have proven effective, with only this single imported cases being recorded so far.

Armenia announced a partial shutdown of the border with Iran on February 24 as the Islamic Republic reported an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Armenian government announced that the closure features some exceptions, such as freight transport and citizens of both countries willing to repatriate. Freight transport’s from Iran are being monitored on Armenian territory and drivers are being screened.

Two special flights were organized from Tehran to repatriate Armenian nationals from Iran, one on February 26 and the second on February 28. A total of 134 people were airlifted.

The 29-year-old man who tested positive for the virus had arrived on the second flight.