The Armenian government introduced the measure on January 22 during an Omicron-driven wave of coronavirus infections. Only those people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a recent negative test were supposedly allowed to visit bars, restaurants, museums, theaters or other public venues.
The measure proved ineffectual, however, as most restaurants, bars and other private entities stopped requiring visitors to produce evidence of their vaccination or a negative test result one or two weeks after its introduction. Very few of them were fined for their non-compliance.
Nevertheless, the country’s COVID-19 infection rate has steadily and significantly declined in the last three months. The Armenian Ministry of Health has reported an average of several cases a day this month, sharply down from a record high of 4,500 cases registered on February 2.
The ministry announced on Wednesday that the health pass will no longer be in force starting from Thursday because of the “relatively stable epidemiological situation.”
The ministry earlier scrapped a mandatory testing requirement for travellers entering Armenia.
The Armenian authorities have recorded more than 10,300 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Less than half of the country’s population has been vaccinated against the disease.