Phuentshogling went into a three-day lockdown after a 37-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 today. The woman, an expatriate, works in a restaurant and was tested yesterday as part of the health ministry’s regular enhanced surveillance. The test result came out earlier today. According to a source, the woman is fully vaccinated and even received her booster dose recently.
Phuentshogling is still reeling from the effects of the last lockdown that lasted more than 115 days. And the residents woke up today to the news of another lockdown after a case from the community. The task force is yet to ascertain how the woman got infected.
“She did not have symptoms other than a slight sore throat but then she said she recovered yesterday from sore throat. She has received all three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Coming to the contacts, she claims that she doesn’t go out and there is no history of having gone out of Bhutan,” said Rixin Jamtsho, a member of the Southern COVID-19 Task Force in Phuentshogling.
He said her sample was sent to the Royal Centre for Disease Control in Thimphu earlier today to determine what variant caused the infection. The task force started contact tracing and testing since today morning. All her primary contacts have tested negative. So far over 300 samples have been collected. The result is expected to be out by midnight.
“So we are going to test all the customers who visited that restaurant since 31st December 2021,” he added.
He also said the duration of the lockdown will depend on the results of the contact tracing.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office on its official Facebook page issued a statement urging everyone to maintain highest caution. People are asked to avoid unnecessary gathering and maintain all health standards since such outbreak “can happen to any place, any time.”
Choni Dema
Edited by Sonam
