Did We Jump The Gun?

I am overcome by a sense of foreboding – I fear that Bhutan may have now entered an extremely dangerous phase in our relentless struggle to contain the pandemic. For the past two years Bhutan had done extremely well in containing the spread of the virus. But cracks began to appear in the last two months or so – among others, reports of incidences of health workers and front liners being infected began to surface. The most serious lapse was the Wangduephodrang incidence. But I have always believed that there is no point in crying over the spilt milk.

Mistakes are a part of life – they help us navigate to a better future. Problem is when we refuse to learn from our mistakes.

One other thing I have always told my friends and family is that at all cost we should avoid getting into a situation when we have to say “I AM SORRY”. If you have already arrived at a point when you have to say sorry, it means that you are already too late. You are beyond redemption.

Deep down I know that it is the right thing to do – to delegate the responsibility of self-quarantine and isolation to the people themselves - so that there is less burden on the government. And yet, I am apprehensive – will the Bhutanese people behave? Will they be responsible? Do we have such a record – of being responsible and disciplined? Will they follow the protocols?

Has the government considered the need for round-the-clock monitoring? How is the government going to ensure that the self-quarantined/isolated people will do what they are expected to do? Should the government consider doing what the Traffic Division of the RBP has been doing – putting up a warning sign “NO FILTERING RIGHT” and additionally placing a traffic constable to make sure that they follow instructions.

I believe that there was/is no crying need for holding of the Board Exams. I think we could have postponed it for sometime. You can see that its organization has been messy and hit-and-run kind of an affair. There may be compulsions that we commoners do not understand – but certainly what we understand is very clear – do nothing that will result in a surge of COVID-19 cases. What we know is that there is no greater compulsion than the compulsion to contain the virus.

What is the point of going through the motions of the Board Examinations – when all that you may achieve at the end is being infected by the virus and getting locked-down for your troubles?

Has this been a case of jumping the gun?