Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing

Except in Samtse and Gomtu towns, where people are allowed to move (walk) within their zones using their movement cards, the rest of Samtse is still under lockdown.

It is close to a week since lockdown in Samtse started due to a positive case from the community.

On May 12, a couple tested positive for Covid-19 on an antigen test. Later, they tested positive on RT-PCR. The infection was from a busy business centre (restaurant) in Tashicholing.

The relaxation was given to Samtse and Gomtu towns from May 15 onwards.

However, starting from Gathiya bridge until Norgaygang, there is still a complete lockdown.

Kuensel learned that the child of the couple who tested positive also tested positive yesterday. This had parents of the other children who went to the ECCD worried yesterday.

The ECCD has more than 50 students.

A woman in Tashichholing said her four-year-old child, who used to go to the ECCD, was sick.

“She has a fever and headache. She is crying,” she said, adding that her daughter has been asking her to take her to the hospital.

The woman took her daughter to the flu-clinic and the results on the antigen test were negative yesterday. Both the woman and her spouse had also tested negative during the mass screening.

Meanwhile, people are cautious in Tashichholing.

Although home delivery of essential items was allowed since May 16, not many have called the shops.

The owner of United Tshongkhag said the call for essential orders had just started to come.

“And there is not much demand,” he said.

One Gola resident, Dilip, said he was spending all his time inside his home.

More contact tracing has been carried out this time because of the nature of the first local transmission from a busy restaurant. A plumber, who had eaten in the restaurant also tested positive. He had also moved to many villages in three gewogs.

Tashichholing Gup Sameer Giri said contact tracing was still going on.

“We are also keeping track of all the secondary contacts,” he said.