Health Alert Update March 25, 2020

Dear AUA Community,

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. AUA continues following the RA Government’s regulations regarding the state of emergency in Armenia. Last night, March 24, the RA Prime Minister addressed the nation with new updates. In his address, the Prime Minister said that the Government has taken tough measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in Armenia.

Following the new decision of Commandant Tigran Avinyan, the right of people to move freely in Armenia will be restricted from March 24, 11:59 pm until April 10, 11:59 pm. People can leave their houses only for essential needs:

1) To go to the supermarket (or local grocery store); the pharmacy; to attend a funeral or take care of someone else. Please note that access to grocery stores and pharmacies between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm is restricted to persons 65 years old and above;

2) To do physical exercise (e.g. running or cycling) in their neighborhood only once a day;

3) To go to work, if a person works for a business/organization whose activities have not been temporarily suspended by law.

These restrictions apply to both citizens of Armenia and foreign nationals.

In case there is an essential need to leave your house, you should carry an ID card or passport and a pre-filled standardized form. The form requires clear mentions of your destination, time of departure, arrival, etc. Police officers will be monitoring the movement of people throughout the territory of the country. Police are allowed to stop people and ask to see the required documents, and if necessary, apply measures specified by the law. The standardized form does not need to be printed: citizens are free to have it handwritten and signed.

In cases of either leaving to make purchases or for work, individual means of transportation of a maximum of two people (including the driver) shall be permitted.

At AUA, we continue to take measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. In addition to mandating remote work for all employees whose essential functions do not require being on campus, the University has limited employees’ access to our campus buildings to promote social distancing. During this emergency period, we will have very limited facility services; housekeeping support will not be available. Please observe that no garbage can be left in the building or in the park. Our ICTS unit will continue to support all our faculty and staff should they have issues with online services. In this time of self-isolation, AUA Counseling Services will also be available online to support our community’s mental health. Please contact our counselors via email to make an appointment: [email protected]. The AUA Health Clinic is also available to assist with your health concerns and communication with the insurance company.

I can proudly state that our faculty and students have done a great job these past weeks smoothly transitioning all classroom instruction to online platforms. Online classes are conducted as scheduled so our students are able to continue to learn. All of us have had to adjust to many new realities and challenges in recent weeks. This moment has required that we come together in new ways — even though many of us are working and studying away from the AUA campus.

Thank you for your patience and collaboration! AUA will continue monitoring the news and be in contact with the RA Ministry of Health and the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport. We will keep the community updated with further information, as appropriate.

 

Stay healthy,

Karin Markides 

President