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India extends lockdown by 2 more weeks

The nationwide coronavirus lockdown will be extended by two more weeks from May 4, the Indian government said on friday, noting significant gains from the six-week shutdown in India’s fight to slow the spread of COVID-19. Extending the lockdown for the second time, the home ministry announced new guidelines based …

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A rude reminder

The initially positive and later negative result of a shop keeper in Jomotsangkha kept the nation on tenterhooks, because any confirmation would mean the possible presence of community transmission in Bhutan. The nation, for a moment, was reminded of the incredibly high price that we have to pay for any …

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How South Korea Stopped COVID-19 Early

SEOUL – South Korea experienced one of the world’s largest initial outbreaks of COVID-19 outside China. But, unlike the United States and many European countries, we have been able to contain and drastically reduce the spread of the virus, at least so far – and without imposing a nationwide lockdown. …

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Getting complacent

When the first case of the COVID-19 came to Bhutan, the initial problem was excessive fear and panic as people resorted to panic buying, but the bright side was that people stayed indoors and avoided social gatherings. However, the problem is now one of complacency as people lose their fear …

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Nu 286 mn budget for Tourism Stimulus Plan

The expected budget for the Tourism Stimulus Plan is Nu 286 million (mn) which will be adjusted from the Nu 1.5 billion (bn) which was kept for the tourism flagship program. The Director General of Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), Dorji Dhradhul, said that TCB has reprioritized its entire tourism …

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Clarity and Equity

The details of the His Majesty’s Royal Kidu and announcements show a lot of practical thinking and good sense that even Nobel Laureates would appreciate. A few weeks ago, a news channel was hosting two Nobel laureates in economics on what they would do to help with the situation in …

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On NPL, interest waiver and rents

There are those asking for loan interest waivers for loan accounts which were Non Performing Loans (NPL) before 29th February too. This is a basic misunderstanding of the Royal Kidu. The Kidu waiver is for impact caused by COVID-19 (March onwards), and not the other NPLs prior to COVID-19 which …

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