It is heartening to see the nation come together in the way we have never seen before.

These are difficult times, yes, for a small close-knit society like ours—our economy is also very small.

Is COVID-19 the biggest threat facing the country today? We cannot down play the danger it comes with.

Are we on a sound footing to face the challenges? Yes, we are. In fact, we are doing very well.

What we must know is that we cannot take it lightly.

The honourable members of the Parliament have committed their salary already if the COVID-19 cases in the country grows.

Likewise, BCCI has asked the government what business houses could do. The Bhutanese in Australia have begun pulling funds. Teachers have made it clear that if their services are needed they are ready.

This is Bhutan. This is Bhutanese. We are coming together to fight the biggest problem facing the nation today.

But, also, let us talk about reality. There is fear. There is disinformation. And, so, stigmatisation.

This is not a healthy trend.

There are those who would rather make fun of the disease, wrapping their faces with diapers. When the nation is taking this incident very seriously, making it a joke out of it is utterly tasteless.

Letting this trend continue will cost the nation.

If things come to the red, we could even forgo our plan budgets. Why not? There are those who are worried about loans and repayment,  however.

The government has no role here. If they are not concerned about the difficulty facing the nation today, they aren’t thinking about the nation at all.

But then the government is already looking at easing the problems confronting the business houses. 

There will be disruptions because of COVID-19. And that is exactly why we are thinking about the health and safety of the people first.

This involves costs. That is why coming together to fight the disease is important.

We are a small and poor nation, but we are pragmatic people. When the entire  health system in the country is involved in fighting the disease, considering the shortage of health professionals in the country, the people coming together in the way it is happening is encouraging.

What is wonderful about this time and challenge is that we can contribute each individually, poor or rich regardless.

Our best contribution could be refraining from spreading disinformation. More important, however, is taking care of our personal health.

Wash your hands and stay away from crowds. We will then have contributed to the nation’s effort to fight COVID-19 significantly.