| English | Dzongkha | Wednesday, August 5, 2020 |
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) calls on the government to explain to the country why the act of selling tobacco and tobacco products by the government’s outlet is not in violation of the Tobacco Control Act. Section 11 (b) of the Act states that no person shall manufacture, supply or distribute tobacco and tobacco products.
17 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in what is reported as the first confirmed cases of community transmission in the neighbouring Indian town of West Bengal, according to local media in Jaigoan.
Amid the emerging evidence of airborne transmission of the coronavirus under certain conditions, officials from the testing centres in the country are confident to handle the tests in the existing labs. To handle any pathogens, different level of labs are used based on the risk of pathogens. For coronavirus, Biosafety Level 2-lab is used at the testing centres in the country where the virus is handled inside a biosafety cabinet.
On average, about 60 patients are referred for treatment outside the country in a month. Come COVID-19, and the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) could refer only one patient in the last four months.
On behalf of the Government of India, the Indian embassy in Bhutan handed over a consignment of medical supplies to the Health Ministry in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The use of facemasks in public places, public transportation, and at service centers in Bumthang has been made mandatory from last week.
53 people have been placed under home quarantine in Nganglam, Pema Gatshel, after coming into contact with a Bhutanese man, arrested for breaching border protocols on July 19.
Two truck drivers coming from Phuentshogling to Gomtu to pick up cement have been quarantined after they had close contact with tollbooth operators at Madhya, an Indian town near Birpara, yesterday.
Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhag COVID-19 task force is implementing various measures to prevent cross border transmission of the virus with increasing cases of Coronavirus in the neighbouring Indian state of Assam.
Turning disaster into an opportunity amid the global pandemic, three carpenters from Nanong Gewog in Pema Gatshel are minting cash with the skills that were otherwise limited to the demands within their community. The carpenters, now in Samdrup Jongkhar, are fully engaged since the pandemic forced the closure of border and restriction on entry of foreign workers.