The term “frontline workers” has become popular after the pandemic hit the country in March 2020. It makes you think of doctors in hazmat suits and soldiers in uniform. But many people from different walks of life are serving the country as frontline workers. And one of them is the group working at the 1010 HelpDesk in Thimphu.
With headsets on, the frontline workers are glued to the computer screen at the 1010 HelpDesk located at the IT Park. They receive calls and help people. They are the bridge between the people and the service providers.
More than 80 of them, mostly DeSuups work for 12 hours at a stretch before another group takes over. The lines are open 24 hours.
“We started gathering on January 16. We were only 30 of us at the beginning so I worked for 24 hours for two days. Then it was not sufficient so we started adding more DeSuups. So, currently, we have 64 DeSuups and we also have DHI staff. Initially, people who stayed in the hotel called us the most saying they cannot afford to stay in the hotel anymore. Also, those who came in for the cremation services called us,” said Yoenten Phuntsho, coordinator at 1010 helpdesk.
Since the lockdown last month, the 1010 HelpDesk received some 180,00 calls until yesterday. That is about 10,000 calls a day. With many people calling at the same time, there were issues about calls getting jammed during the initial days.
“During the second day of lockdown, we received an excess of 79,000 calls and we could not attend to all the calls. During other normal times in our center here we keep 15 lines open. But this time we have double the capacity. While we could not attend to 79,000 calls during the second day that’s when people panicked and they don’t know what to do. After that and until today our average calls have been more than 10,000 from that we have been able to receive 90% of the calls,” said Dorji Nima, the head of 1010 HelpDesk.
The most frequently asked questions were related to stranded people.
“We deliver essentials to all those buildings marked as red and areas marked as red. In addition to that, we also facilitate the movement of the people who are stranded without vehicles and are stranded on the road. So we send our vehicles to pick them up and drop them off at their respective locations,” added Dorji Nima.
“In addition to that, we also facilitate the delivery of other emergency items for instance we have been delivering sanitary pads and medicines to all the needy ones as most of the pharmacies are not open, and sometimes the pharmacies are not there in their respective zones.”
Such helplines are there across the country. Staying away from their loved ones is difficult. But these people like any other frontline worker have risen to the occasion.
And Bhutan is standing together to fight COVID-19. Even if they get sick, it would have been for a good cause.
Kelzang Choden
