Armenian President Armen Sarkisian has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating in London where he had been spending the New Year with his family, his office said today.
The 67-year-old president "had symptoms of the novel coronavirus. A test gave a positive result," the presidency said in a statement.
Mr Sarkisian had been in London to "spend the New Year with his family and grandchildren", as well as to have an operation on his leg, the statement added. "The president is in self-isolation and will continue temporarily to carry out his role at a distance," it said.
The role of president in Armenia is largely ceremonial and executive power rests primarily with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who himself caught the virus in June