The nature of COVID-19 is still a mystery, but experts across the world have come to a consensus that hand washing is critical in the fight against the virus. This year’s Global Handwashing Day, observed every year on October 15, is important, to say the least, in saving many lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s Global Handwashing Day theme is ‘Hand Hygiene for All,’ and aims to catalyze the momentum from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene to prevent disease transmission.
In Bhutan, schools across the country recorded a 77 per cent increase in handwashing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the records from the Ministry of Education, the number of handwashing tap points in schools across the country has today increased to 17,071. Earlier, there were only about 9,654 handwashing tap points. This means at the national level, tap to student ratio has now improved to one tap point for every nine students from one tap point for every 17 students earlier.
“In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has helped set up various handwashing facilities in our school. As soon as we enter the school we are made to wash our hands properly by teachers. All handwashing facilities are in place and we are always made to wash our hands while going to the toilets and before eating food as well,” said Dorji Lethro, a student of Zilukha Middle Secondary School in Thimphu.
“Earlier we were only told to wash our hands after coming back from the toilet. But it is different now as we are made to wash our hands as soon as we touch anything. Moreover, with the help of the government, many handwashing facilities have been introduced in the school campus,” added Tandin Om, from the same school.
These figures include all tap points including those in the toilets and barrel handwashing stations with multiple tap points. All tap points as informed by the district education officials are functional and have access to a regular water supply.
Likewise, among the regions, the schools of Bumthang, Gelegphu Thromde, Trongsa, Tsirang, Dagana, Zhemgang, Sarpang and Wangdue Phodrang recorded the highest increase in the installation of handwashing tap points. From 1,823 tap points, the region today has over 3,500 tap points.
On the other hand, the eastern region, in comparison, saw the least increase in the installation of handwashing facilities. From 3,239 tap points, the region today has 5,529 handwashing tap points in its schools.
And In monastic institutions, as per the Wash Baseline Survey in Monastic Schools and Nunneries in Bhutan 2019, only a quarter of the monastic institutions have both soap and water at the hand-washing facilities. In terms of the frequency for group hand-washing activities, at least half of the institutions conducted group hand-washing activities once a week for monks and nuns.
“Compared to the past, we are frequently washing our hands these days. Nowadays, I am washing my hands five to six times in a day,” said Tshering Dorji, a monk at Dechen Phodrang Monastic School in Thimphu.
“In a day, I wash my hands for about ten to eleven times these days. Before, we were not used to washing our hands but now I wash my hands before and after going to the toilet and before eating food,” added Sonam Jurmey, also a monk at Dechen Phodrang Monastic School.
There are 248 monastic institutions in the country today.
Passang Dorji
