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Armenia has become the worst hit county by Covid-19 in the South Caucasus region registering hundreds of new cases every day, BBC News says in a video report.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who caught the virus himself has been facing growing criticism over his handling of the crisis. But the authorities say the country cannot afford another lockdown, according to the report.

The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie, who has been monitoring the situation from neighboring Georgia, says Armenia’s hospitals are under pressure. The correspondent reflects on the wedding ceremony hosted by former Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, adding it gave many Armenians the impression that the government has not been taking the crisis seriously. The following day the PM sacked the army chief and other senior figures, but that has not satisfied Armenia’s political opposition, which has been calling for the entire government to resign.

Armenia’s infection rate per one million population is one of the highest in the world, the report says.

In the BBC video Samvel Farmanyan, a co-founder of the Quarter Media, decries the government’s policy towards fighting coronavirus as “disaster”, adding the authorities have failed completely, that’s why Armenia has found itself in the line with a couple of countries in the world with the worst figures.

Armenia reopened businesses back in April as the number of new infections continue to rise, the correspondent says.

Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan says Armenia does not seek to eradicate the virus as it is simply impossible, adding if the country keeps its borders closed for a year or again shuts down businesses for months “we will die from other causes actually.”

Nikol Pashinyan is now faced with the biggest challenge of his premiership and is relying on his people once again to do their part to fight the virus, Rayhan Demytrie concludes.