Armenia rules out nationwide school closures amid rise in respiratory infections

Armenia’s Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan says the country is not currently considering nationwide school or kindergarten closures despite a rise in acute respiratory infections.

Speaking during a Facebook live broadcast on Tuesday, Avanesyan said monitoring data does not indicate a situation that would require suspending in-person classes.

However, she noted that individual classes may switch to remote learning if more than 20% of students are absent.

“We are in daily contact with our colleagues in the education sector. Based on ongoing monitoring, classes can independently decide to move to online learning if necessary,” she said.

Avanesyan added that if the epidemiological situation were to worsen to the point where broader action is needed, the government would make that decision.

The minister confirmed that the influenza A virus is currently circulating in Armenia, describing the strain as “quite aggressive”.