March 1, 2020 - 10:41 AMT
Armenia reports first coronavirus case

Armenia registered its first case of coronavirus on Sunday, March 1 morning, in a citizen returning from Iran, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Facebook post.

The 29-year-old man went to a doctor because he was not feeling well, the Prime Minister said, just days after arriving in the country on February 28.

The patient’s wife, who accompanied him during the flight, tested negative for the virus.

The man “is now in good condition,” Pashinyan said, adding that authorities are isolating those who had been in close contact with him, including his wife, the passport control officer who authorized their entry to the country, as well as the taxi drivers who took them home from the airport and to the hospital./

Neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan reported cases of their own this week, with three in each country.

Armenia had earlier closed its border with Iran for two weeks and suspended air traffic a week ago.