Hundreds of stranded individuals in Sarpang are still waiting for quarantine facilities. Most of the gewogs in the district started to quarantine stranded individuals in their respective gewogs last month upon Task Force’s instruction. But three gewogs of Dekiling, Gelephu and Shompangkha could not facilitate quarantine facilities due to a lack of infrastructure.
More than 1,000 people are stranded for over a month in various gewogs of Sarpang due to a shortage of quarantine facilities. The district is facing an acute shortage of quarantine centres as increasing COVID cases overwhelm the quarantine centres.
Nine gewogs started facilitating quarantine centres in their respective gewogs. An extended classroom in Jigme Chhoeling Gewog is used as a quarantine centre. The gewog has quarantined 45 individuals in the first batch. Jigme Chhoeling Gewog has 150 stranded individuals.
“We have three separate quarantine centres. We have quarantined all females in the meeting hall, another group with children is quarantined in the ECR room and all males are in the dining hall,” said Kumar Gurung, Jigme Chhoeling Gup.
In Shompangkha, more than a hundred individuals have registered with the gewog administration for the quarantine facility. But they will have to wait until the stranded individuals in the neighbouring gewogs leave for their destinations.
Dekiling and Gelephu Gewogs are facing a shortage of quarantine as the existing infrastructure are also used to accommodate COVID patients besides catering to outbound travellers.
“We have identified Kencholing ECR but that can accommodate only 20 people. We have requested our neighbouring gewogs to lend us their quarantine centre when the travellers complete quarantine,” said Ashman Rai, Shompangkha Mangmi.
So far, close to 300 stranded individuals in Sarpang left for their destinations after undergoing week-long quarantine in the gewogs. About 800 are undergoing quarantine currently.
Sarpang reported more than 1,200 positive cases so far. Of it close to 400 are active cases in the isolation facilities.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
