The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Ministry of Health has placed a guide and driver under quarantine and has conducted tests after it emerged that a 54-year-old Hong Kong tourist who was in Bhutan from 3rd to 12th March tested positive for the virus on 22rd March and is currently hospitalized in Hong Kong.
The driver and guide who had prolonged contact with the tourist have all tested negative. This brings up the possibility he may also have contracted the virus in between Bangkok and Hong Kong while going back. However, health officials are not taking any chances and the first contacts are in quarantine.
His wife in Hong Kong is yet to get tested but she is planning to get tested too.
The Center for Health Protection, Department of Health under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said that the tourist had a travel history to Bhutan and Bangkok from Feb 28 to March 12.
His visa details though show he was in Bhutan form 3rd to 12th March.
The Center for Health Protection said that the 54-year-old had the onset of symptoms on 19th March.
The Center says that his travel history during the incubation and infectious stage was Bhutan and Bangkok. The man is hospitalized in the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Hong Kong.
As soon as the MoH received the information late last night, it deployed its team to do contact tracing and got in touch with the guide and driver who were placed in quarantine by around midnight with the samples taken for testing by around 1 am.
The MoH is also in the process of getting in touch with the owner of the tour company to know the detailed itinerary of the tourist so that all the first contacts of the tourist can be traced.
The Health Minister Lyonpo Dechen Wangmo said that on 3rd March the Hong Kong tourist went to Memorial Chorten, Sabzi bazar and Town and stayed in a hotel in Thimphu
On 4th March he went to Takin zoo, Craft Bazar bazar and Tango.
On 5th March he went to Punakha Tshechu and stayed in Uma. He also went to Dochula and Gangtey.
There were 72 people in the flight with him but most of them are tourists said the minister.
