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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed concerns over the surge in the new daily cases of Covid-19 at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

He linked the rising number of infections to the increased mobility of people, urging all to show a high sense of individual responsibility to get along with the novel coronavirus.

The premier said that police and inspection bodies have been told to tighten control on the observance of all safety rules.

Pashinyan said currently there is no need to involve more hospitals in the fight against the pandemic.

Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said, in turn, that there are a large number of free hospital beds at the moment.

“Only 5 out of around 20 medical centers are treating coronavirus patients, with three of them specializing in treatment of children, infants and pregnant women," the minister said, adding that if the situation worsens abruptly, more beds will be provided for coronavirus patients again in 1 to 2 days.

He reminded that it refers to some 2,700-2,800 ordinary beds and 200 beds in rehabilitation departments.

Torosyan said that Armenia recorded its highest daily coronavirus increase on July 6, with the cases dropping to a record low level on September 11, but ever since the infection rate has increased, which he linked to both increased mobility of people and a failure to observe coronavirus safety rules.

However, he said, the surge in coronavirus infections is not yet attributed to the reopening of schools across the country.

“But if the coming weeks see a spike again, we will attribute it to school reopening. It is not only about transmissions within schools, as they also contribute to increased mobility," the minister said.