The number of coronavirus cases in Armenia climbed for the second time on Saturday, March 13, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan now reporting three more cases, bringing the total up to 18.

The last dozen cases that tested positive for the virus had already been isolated due to having been exposed to a person carrying the virus.

Also, the first person to have brought the virus to Armenia has tested negative for the virus and will be discharged after retest.

Pashinyan himself and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the PM said.

The couple opted to self-quarantine after an aide to the Brazilian president tested positive for the virus. Hakobyan had met the First Lady of Brazil on March 7.