Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday said he tested positive for the coronavirus, speaking during a Facebook live video.
"I didn’t have any symptoms. I decided to take a test as I was planning to visit the frontline," said Pashinian, adding that his whole family was infected.
Pashinian suggested that he most likely contracted the coronavirus from a waiter during a meeting.
“I noticed that he worked without gloves. I made a remark, but I think they worked without gloves before. The waiter also confirmed the coronavirus,” the Armenian prime minister said
Armenia, with a population of 3 million, had registered 9,402 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Monday and 139 deaths.
Coronavirus patients have overwhelmed Armenia's hospitals and last week health officials said that intensive care treatment could be soon restricted to patients with the best chance of survival.
Pashinian's announcement came nearly one month after Armenia on May 4 lifted a state of emergency imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The prime minister acknowledged his government had failed to enforce anti-virus measures and there had been widespread quarantine violations.
