Medical emergencies and in case of death of immediate family member are the only two cases where quarantine is exempted while travelling from high-risk areas to low-risk areas. The Health Minister at the press briefing today said the ministry cannot allow any other travellers from a high-risk area to low risk area without the mandatory seven-day quarantine. This, Lyonpo said, is including the taxi drivers, bolero and bus operators.
“Bolero drivers travel a lot. Similarly, taxi drivers will have to come in contact with many different passengers. That’s why we have classified them under the high-risk group. Therefore we cannot give them the exception. We can allow only health emergencies and in case of death of an immediate family member,” said Dechen Wangmo, the Health Minister.
The Health Ministry also monitors those exceptional travellers after they reach the low-risk areas.
The Health Minister said classification of the high-risk zone is purely based on the epidemiological risk of the place.
“We have 700 km of a porous border. We are not able to seal the border completely. We also continue to have violations and interactions. Secondly, we know that the first community transmission came from the MDP. When we facilitate the import, then there is a certain risk of transmission. The other one is the risk of asymptomatic spreaders,” Lyonpo said.
According to the health minister, although it is inconvenient for those living near the borders, it is keeping the nation safe.
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