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Armenia will lift almost all coronavirus restrictions from May 4, with only some businesses remaining closed in the country, Deputy Minister of Economy Varos Simonyan told a news conference on Friday.

According to the official, a decision has been made to lift the restrictions on the movement of people, but the public transport will still not be allowed to work.

"The ban remains in force because there are certain risks concerning the spread of the virus," he said.

In Simonyan’s words, almost all restrictions on the wholesale and retail trade will be removed, only the restrictions will still apply to the trade places. Malls and department stores will remain closed, while food, grocery stores, pharmacies, and agricultural markets within them will reopen, he said.

The deputy minister said that all the processing industry-related activities will be allowed, including the textile and furniture manicuring. Restaurants, cafes and bars with outdoor areas will reopen too.

Botanical gardens, zoos, reserves and special protection areas will also reopen to the public. Sports clubs, beauty and hair salons will reopen across the country, too, the official said, adding new safety rules must be observed in all sectors conditioned by the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the country.