Movement will be restricted if new cases are detected

Phub Dem | Paro

After detecting three positive cases in Paro earlier yesterday, Paro dzongkhag imposed partial lockdown in high-risk areas of Khangkhu and Shaba.

The partial lockdown has prevented the people from crowding grocery stores and other essential shops after the Prime Minister announced nation-wide lockdown last night.

According to Sonam Dorji, residents had already stocked up their rations when the government announced lockdown in Thimphu thromde. “It is safer to stay inside as there is community transmission.”

Paro dzongdag Tenzin Thinley said that partial lockdown had helped people to buy essential items and prepare for the nationwide lockdown.

He said that the dzongkhag administration requested the local leaders to inform people not to move from their area and strictly follow the health protocol.

Paro dzongkhag Covid-19 taskforce would allow movement of people within their zones if the samples collected tests yesterday negative.

Tenzin Thinley said that the taskforce would stop the movement if new cases are detected.

He said that residents could buy essential items from shops and grocery stores in their zones. “If the stores do not have the required items, people can order from essential delivery services such as wholesale dealers.”

Meanwhile, health team conducted mass screening for staffs and students of Shaba and Khangkhu Middle Secondary School yesterday.

Of the three cases, a 56-year woman and her 17-year-old granddaughter stay in Shaba HSS.    They are moved to isolation wards.

The 56-year woman’s daughter, a lab assistant at the school, had travelled to Thimphu earlier. Although she tested negative on antigen test yesterday, her swab sample was sent for RT-PCR. She was moved to a quarantine centre.

The lab assistant had travelled to Thimphu on December 12 and spent a night there and returned the next day.

The third positive case is a teacher at Khangkhu MSS. While he had not travelled to Thimphu, it was found that he played archery in Shaba during lomba break between December 15 and 16, during which he came in contact with some people from Thimphu.

He is isolated and his primary contacts are quarantined.

All three came to flu camp yesterday to test complaining of flu-like symptoms.

The health team conducted 519 rapid antigen tests in flu clinic for those who has travel history to Thimphu.

And 725 swab samples  from Khangkhu and Shaba schools and close contacts of the positive cases were send to Thimphu for  RT-PCR test.