At a press conference today to mark the reopening of bus service, Yerevan First Deputy Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan reported that passenger volume was light given that schools and universities are still closed in the Armenian capital.

The reopening of public transport in Yerevan follows the easing of most restrictions on businesses and individual movement earlier in the month.

As a public health guideline, Sargsyan urged residents to wrap their masks and gloves in a plastic bag and before throwing them in the trash.

He said that garbage from those Yerevan hotels turned into Covid-19 isolation wards during the early days of the pandemic was daily hauled to local landfills via special trucks and that the vehicles were washed down daily.

While reminding public transport drivers that they must wear masks and gloves, Sargsyan confessed that the municipality lacks the resources to effectively monitor the situation at present.

He said that the municipality doesn’t have the personnel to monitor conditions in the capital’s 800 minivans and 300 buses.

He said that Yerevan Municipality Transport Department staffers and police officers would be inspecting the minivans.

The official called on riders to stay alert and follow public health guidelines.