As per COVID-19 protocol, shopkeepers and taxi drivers need to get tested for COVID-19 twice a month. To make sure everyone follows the procedure strictly, the Samtse Task Force has made things easier to monitor the testing records. The district recently introduced COVID-19 Test Diary for all shopkeepers and taxi drivers.
With the introduction of the new system, all shopkeepers and taxi drivers in Samtse will have to maintain their COVID-19 test records in COVID-19 Test Diary.
While the shopkeepers will be provided with a green colour diary, taxi drivers will be provided with a yellow diary. This is expected to help the district task force here to monitor test records and also help in the early detection of the virus from the community.
Besides reflecting all the test records, the test dairy will also contain the basic information of an individual and their occupation along with a QR code. The Dzongkhag staff started distributing the diary since the recent outbreak of the virus in the country.
“In Samtse, I feel all of us are regularly going for our COVID tests every week. Moreover, we have a good leader and he always reminds us to get tested and we have been doing so. So far, we have not been punished for not having our test done,” said Kinley Wangmo, a shopkeeper.
But with more than 1,000 shops and over 100 taxi drivers, monitoring in the district was always a challenge.
“We have been monitoring their test records but since the number is very big, we face a tough time in monitoring whether they are being tested or not. For example, there are about four to five people working in a restaurant. And when we ask them about their test, some tell us the truth but some don’t. Some of them do maintain a separate document of their test results but some they don’t even do that,” said Pasang Dorji, the Samtse Dzongda.
And now with the new system, the dzongkhag team will check their test diary any time. And if found not complying with the protocol, shopkeepers will be made to close their shops for at least a week. Likewise, taxi drivers will also be not permitted to operate for a week.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
