The heavily mutated variant first detected in South Africa earlier this month is believed to be highly transmissible and potentially resistant to coronavirus vaccines. It now seems to be spreading around the world, leading many countries to impose travel restrictions.
Avanesian said the Armenian government will take similar measures affecting citizens of South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
“The entry of people from these countries to the Republic of Armenia will be temporarily restricted,” she told a news conference.
The minister echoed concerns about Omicron’s possible ability to evade existing vaccines protecting people against COVID-19. Still, she made clear that the government will continue to encourage Armenians to get inoculated.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Health, only about 436,400 people in the country of about 3 million have been fully vaccinated to date.
Avanesian announced that after weeks of deliberations the government has decided to introduce on January 1 a mandatory health pass for entry to cultural and leisure venues. Only those people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a recent negative test will be allowed to visit bars, restaurants and other public venues, she said.
The daily number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in Armenia began declining about two weeks ago after several months of steady increase that overwhelmed the national healthcare system. The Ministry of Health recorded 189 cases and 21 deaths on Sunday, the lowest figures reported in weeks.