The country is all set to reopen its border gates tomorrow. This is after more than two and a half years. However, the pandemic is still not over. And then there is the looming risk of monkeypox. To keep track of the situation, Health Minister Dechen Wangmo says the ministry will do random testing as part of its surveillance.
The health minister says the ministry will continue to monitor the situation.
“We will have enhanced surveillance which means anybody who is coming from outside, at the port of entry, we are going to do random testing. And then we will be able to guide the national policy depending on the random sampling and then see the projection,” said Lyonpo.
According to the minister, it is the solidarity every Bhutanese put in during the pandemic that enabled the reopening of the borders.
“A few things that give us a lot of confidence to reopen, first, our vaccine coverage is very high. Scientifically, we see that the virulence of the virus is also coming down that now it’s becoming like a cold. So, we are not seeing significant hospitalization and mortality. My highest appreciation to the people for coming forward and vaccinating themselves to protect the country,” added Lyonpo.
Lyonpo also said the country has battled a major public health crisis with constant guidance from their Majesties. However, with the pandemic still not over, Lyonpo urges people to continue with the basic preventive measures.
Bhutan closed its border after detecting the first COVID -19 positive case in a tourist in March 2020.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Sonam
