HEADLINE STORIES

Of the 7 recovered Bhutanese COVID-19 patients contacted by the paper 5 still suffer from some lingering effects Bhutan has so far got 859 COVID-19 cases of which  841 have recovered so far  with only 17 active cases and 1 death. Despite the encouraging numbers, there is an increasing body …

From 1st of February, 2021, the complete unlocking process for Thimphu began including inter-dzongkhag movement, schools, offices, institutions, shops, constructions and business entities. Prime Minister Dasho (Dr) Lotay Tshering during the Press Conference said in what is the convergence of His Majesty’s blessings, prayers of our religious bodies, hard work …

As the fear of COVID-19 dissipates with some people starting to compare it to the Flu and others coming out to say they will not take the vaccine, The Bhutanese talked to doctors who treated COVID-19 patients to understand what Bhutanese COVID-19 patients go through. Apart from that, there is …

On 18th of January the Prime Minister Dasho (Dr) Lotay Tshering came on air and accepted there have been major lapses and the mistakes have happened from the Paro airport, leading to the second outbreak. He said the government has done its own review, but he did not assign accountability …

With India explicitly committing to meet Bhutan’s vaccine needs for 533,000 eligible people and other arrangements in the pipeline, it is becoming clearer now that the main challenge of getting the COVID-19 vaccine is largely resolved. This now leaves two issues at hand for Bhutan. One is the safety of …

The country’s board exam dates for class X and XII will all depend on what happens in Thimphu and Paro. If schools from the two Dzongkhags ask for time extension to complete their syllabus, then a similar extension will be given to all schools and this would delay the board …

More details have emerged on the various factors contributing to the second outbreak and its spread. Government officials still regard the most probable source of the second outbreak as being the 27th November 2020 flight, mentioned by The Bhutanese last week, where 33 to 34 of the 52 to 55 …

Last weekend, The Bhutanese published a 2,400-word investigative article with the headline “How complacency and lax protocols led to the nation’s second COVID-19 outbreak,” which focused primarily on the systemic lapses that led to the second outbreak.  It examined measures inside the airport, logistics and coordination issues and found lapses from the …

Mass testing in Thimphu and Paro to unlock them in phases 22,000 mass tests in Thimphu and Paro are negative so far With total of 52,000 people in 18 dzongkhags testing negative through mass screening (including the tests conducted in the flu clinics) National COVID-19 Task Force unlocked 18 Dzongkhags …

A big question mark with the massive second COVID-19 outbreak in Thimphu and Paro is on its source and how it spread, despite the various precautions taken. An infectious flight and a driver It all started with a 27th November flight from Kolkata carrying 52 passengers and 6 crew with …