Armenian Prime Minister says he recovered from corona virus

Nikol Pashinyan

YEREVAN, June 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his family have recovered from the coronavirus, the leader of the ex-Soviet country badly hit by the pandemic said.

“We have just received the results of our repeat tests,” Pashinyan, 45, said on Facebook. All of his tests and those of his family were negative, he added.

The Armenian leader announced on his birthday, June 1, that he and his family had tested positive for the virus and he would be working from home.

The announcement came nearly a month after Armenia lifted a state of emergency imposed in March to slow the spread of the virus.

The Caucasus nation of some three million people has struggled to contain the pandemic. As of Monday, health officials have registered 13,325 cases and 211 deaths.

Pashinyan acknowledged last week that the country’s health care system was overwhelmed and he has previously admitted his government failed to enforce anti-virus measures.

Pashinyan was elected prime minister in the wake of mass popular protests he led two years ago against veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian and his Republican Party.

He has since led a relentless crusade against graft and initiated sweeping judicial reforms.