The Regional COVID-19 Task Force for Wangdue Phodrang, Punakha and Gasa said the gradual relaxation of lockdown in Wangdue Phodrang will depend on the continued cooperation and support from the public. According to the Task Force, plans regarding continuous tests and zone transitions are ready to be implemented as soon as they receive directives from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The TAG team has currently advised the Task Force to keep it on hold due to the worsening COVID situation in other parts of the country.
The Regional Task Force has transitioned around ten chiwogs in the Red Zones to Yellow Zones. Currently, the Wangdue Dzongkhag Thromde along with around ten chiwogs are in Red Zones.
The district recorded close to 2,000 COVID cases since January 16. More than 900 individuals have recovered so far. Over 30,000 individuals in the district were tested for COVID-19 in the last two months.
The Task Force facilitated travels to over 1,000 individuals. According to the Task Force, more than 9,000 residents of the Green Zones have received booster shots.
The inoculation of booster dose for the frontline workers began on Friday. The Task Force plans to administer boosters for the residents of the Red and Yellow Zones subsequently.
Meanwhile, the Task Force said the emergence of COVID cases despite the lockdown is not an alarming issue as the cases are detected in the Red Zones.
Moreover, the Task Force said cases are declining gradually. The district reported 38 new COVID cases yesterday. Of it, five were from the community.
Changa Dorji, Wangdue Phodrang
