Helping Armenia weather the COVID-19 pandemic
Published: Jul 8, 2020 Reading time: 2 minutes
While life amid COVID-19 has returned to a new normal in Armenia, with restrictions on businesses and individual movement lifted, many vulnerable groups continue to suffer from the repercussions of the pandemic. To assist them, People in Need (PIN) is focusing our support on various aspects of the recovery process.
For instance, PIN Armenia recently donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical masks to the Amasia Health Centre CJSC, in Shirak Province, to ensure that medical workers remain properly protected, and to limit any further spread of the virus. Throughout the crisis, community medical workers have risked their lives to treat sick patients; their safety remains of paramount importance.
To supply the health centre with protective gear, we contracted with JuLiAna, a local sewing company, to produce them. JuLiAna was established in the Shirak region in 2019 with the support of the European Union and PIN, a project that included other job-creation initiatives, such as a programme to revive and modernise the wool value chain, and a project to develop small and medium-sized enterprises.
Helping Armenia weather the COVID-19 pandemic
In addition to PPE production, PIN Armenia has been working to support regional beneficiaries during the crisis, and to support jobs that have been created as part of our programming.
Other COVID-19 recovery efforts include the development of a domestic adventure tourism sector and support for wool production in the Shirak region through grants and capacity building. Grants totalling 70,000 euro will be given to locals in the Shirak and Syunik regions to support existing businesses and community initiatives, as well as to establish new businesses.
COVID-19 appeared in Armenia at the end of February 2020. On 16 March, the Armenian government declared a state of emergency in response to the pandemic. On 12 June, the state of emergency was extended for an additional 30 days. As of 30 June, there were 25,542 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Armenia, with 14,048recoveries and 443 COVID-19-related deaths.
