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COVID-19 testing for identified yellow zone will start on Saturday
The Health Minister Dechen Wangmo yesterday at a press conference highlighted the plans and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will be followed in the coming days at Phuentsholing and its neighboring parts.
She said that increasing cases from Dantak, detection from one of the livestock store room and one from the flu clinic led to the expansion of the containment area (red zone) and it will be cordoned off.
Lyonpo said Phuentsholing is a high risk area and within Phuentsholing the DANTAK containment area has been classified as a red zone and cordoned off. She said no one will be allowed to move in and out from the zone.
She added, “Even movement for other mandatory service delivery will have to be minimized, while guards will be there to monitor”.
The Lyonpo said that people living within the cordoned area will be tested only after 21 days after being declared as a cordoned red zone. The 21 days will start from 3rd September onwards.
She added that every individual will be tested in this red zone.
She said the testing has to be done only after 21 days of declaration of red zone as it is risky for medical staff and the virus can also keep circulating there.
As for zones in the nearby localities, she said that currently they are classified as yellow zones.
She stated, “The situation in the border side is different and when it comes to Phuentsholing it is riskier compared to other places”.
She added, “If we ask ourselves, is whole of Phuentsholing is a risk zone? The answer is yes, but we have classified the other parts as the yellow zone- which means the zone is under surveillance and we will start conducting tests from tomorrow onwards.”
Yellow zones consist of Pemaling area, Toorsa Housing colony and the NHDCL housing Colony-B which holds around 4,600 people.
The Health Minister added that if there are no positive detections the yellow zone will be unlocked after mandatory procedures, but if there are many cases there then even the yellow zone would be a red zone.
She said that the main aim of the ministry is to ensure early detection.
She said that detection even a day earlier would make a key difference in the containment of the disease.
She concluded by saying that people have been tremendously cooperative since the day of the virus outbreak in the world and expressed expectation for further cooperation.
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