A battle like no other, and Bhutan came out smelling like the roses.
A book will soon be available to the Bhutanese people that will describe in detail how the battle was won, who were the strategists behind the scene and who were the foot soldiers.
The New York Times reported that:
“China is grappling with its largest surge of Covid-19 infections since the coronavirus first emerged more than two years ago in central China. Sustained outbreaks in two-thirds of the country’s provinces are proving the toughest test yet of China’s zero-tolerance coronavirus policy.”
This is truly worrisome – this means that even after two years one can never be too certain about the virus. It is not yet clear if it is the Omicron or some brand new variant that is sweeping the country of some 1.4 billion.
It should now be clear to us what we must do: continue the implementation of the cautious easing of the lockdowns that is already under way – but side-by-side, prepare for an eventuality of an even more overwhelming surge in new cases in the community – anytime and without any warnings.
As I keep saying, the pandemic situation will improve only once the Bhutanese people start to be responsible and disciplined – a possibility that is an impossibility. The Kuensel’s front-page image of crowding that had happened day-before-yesterday in Mongar is proof that we will never ever act responsibly. The people mindlessly risked their lives and those of others - for the possibility of saving about Nu.300.00 in reduced petrol/diesel prices.
The government must go with the reality that we will soon be overwhelmed as a result of the easing of the lockdowns. That is as sure as night and day. I had already given my views a long time back – that the most critical preparatory work we must embark on are two:
TRAIN ADDITIONAL HEALTH WORKERS
I can imagine how over-worked and stressed the health workers must be – the lapses that had happened in recent times could be the result of tired and worn out health workers having to work long and stressful hours. Thus we need to train additional casual health workers – so that the workload on the health workers is reduced. This will ensure that professional health workers are available for routine medical cases at the hospitals, which must be on the rise - brought on by the pandemic related difficulties.
PREPARE FOR ADEQUATE QUARANTINE/ISOLATION FACILITIES
Prepare and be ready with sufficient quarantine/isolation facilities to accommodate the positive cases. First stop: schools spread across the country. When the time comes, they could be used as isolation/quarantine accommodations. Schools have the structures in place – the government need not spend on building new facilities. There is only one problem – the toilets. Based on my personal experience during my time with the Rotary, toilets in 90% of the schools are dysfunctional or are in dilapidated condition. Thus the government should consider investing in doing up the toilets (repairing the existing ones) and additionally install more toilets - so that the children have better and working toilets – at the same time they are ready – should the schools need to be used as quarantine/isolation facilities.
I am not supporting lockdowns – but you can be sure that it is coming. If 3/4th of Chinese provinces can be overwhelmed after having remained calm and controlled for two years, there is no reason why this cannot happen in Bhutan – particularly given that we are willing to throw all care to the winds – for the prospect of saving Nu.300.00 or so. I understand that day-before-yesterday some vehicle owners at Motithang fuel station were fined – for being on the road without an e-Pass and for breaching COVID-19 Protocol.
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.
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?
As of yesterday the 17th February 2022 AD, the global Coronavirus numbers stand as follows:
Total Infections : 419,890,900
Total Deaths : 5,878,817
Total Recovered : 343,549,292
The above numbers include our own daily records, which, as of yesterday, stand as follows:
Total Infections : 8,683
Total Deaths : 5
Total Recovered : 5,930
Our highest infection in a day was recorded yesterday – at 386.
It is a matter for alarm that despite our renewed vigilance, Bhutan is seeing heightened incidences of infections. What are we doing wrong? Or, more accurately, what are we NOT DOING RIGHT?
Now let us sit back and ponder on this question: what are we NOT DOING RIGHT? Unfortunately, as I have pointed out many times in the past, the Bhutanese are not a pondering lot and, that, I believe is at the core of why we are seeing daily increase in the infections: WE ARE NOT THINKING AND IN THE PROCESS DOING WHAT WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO.
Yesterday I was forwarded a recording of a woman in Phuentsholing pleading for respite from the lockdowns. She makes an impressive case on the grounds of which the King and the government should consider letting up on the lockdowns. But in that long drawn heart-wrenching appeal, she makes no mention of how she is going to contribute – to help the King and the government to achieve conditions that would make it possible to consider easing lockdowns.
This makes it sound as if I am supporting lockdown – I am not. Some readers – both inside Bhutan as well as outside have accused me of “justifying” the government’s actions based on their misunderstanding of what I wrote in my last post titled “Stop Grumbling” dated 11th February 2022. This is yet another example of how unthinking the Bhutanese are. If you revisit my post, you will see that the absolute last sentence of my post reads:
“If lockdown is deemed necessary, if it is the only way forward, let us have lockdown”.
This means that what I am saying is that I am leaving it to the incumbent government who has the responsibility to do what needs to be done. This means that I am leaving it to the committee of experts to do what they are qualified to do.
This also means that if you know any better – step forward and contribute to the national effort – instead of grumbling and drawing wrong conclusions, through thoughtlessness. If you think the current method of implementing lockdowns is flawed, suggest what is a better way of doing it.
Even small things matter. For instance, when the lockdown was eased in Thimphu, my first thought was to restock on essential supplies. But unlike some, I did not go to 10 vendors to pick up 20 items of my need. I wrote out a complete list of what I need and gave it to one lone vendor - to fill in all my needs. This prevents me from visiting 10 stores that could present a threat.
I have also decided that wherever possible, I will buy my vegetables from the hawkers on the roadside - this will keep me away from crowded vegetable shops.
One other stupidity I see is the vehicle owners thronging the fuel stations. Recently a fuel price increase was due. Whole lot of vehicle owners rushed to the fuel pumps to tank up – in the process creating a long queue and snarling up the traffic. Little realizing that their car idling in the queue for close to an hour would have consumed whatever savings they had hoped for, in addition to precious time lost in the process.
Particularly in a pandemic situation we should know that creating a crowded condition is exactly NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
The lockdowns will ease the day the Bhutanese people begin to think and DO THE RIGHT THINGS. If we fail to do the right things, the lockdowns will continue - that is for sure!
John Adams said: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
Recently someone asked me to write an article for his paper on how democracy is doing in Bhutan. I accepted – then few days later I apologized and declined to do so. I offered him the reason that democracy cannot work in Bhutan – the Bhutanese people do not have the temperament for it. The Bhutanese people understand democracy as something where they have all the rights but have relinquished all their responsibilities.
For democracy to function, we need citizens who understand responsibility and citizens’ duty. Unfortunately, time and again we have proven that these are outside our sphere of thinking. To demonstrate how unthinking Bhutanese are as a society, let me give you three examples:
1. There is already a huge signboard in place that reads – NO FILTERING RIGHT. And yet, the Traffic Division of the RBP has to station a traffic police to ensure that traffic is not filtering to the right. Normally, it should be simple enough for a licensed driver to understand and follow the direction.
2. Being mindful of the difficulties His subjects are bound to face during the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic, His Majesty the King ordered the waiver of bank interest on housing loans. It is my belief that this gesture was intended to benefit the poor people – by bringing some relief in the payment of their house rents. But last I heard, most house owners did not pass on this benefit to the poor tenants, but pocketed the benefits resulting from the kidu.
If the house owners are collecting the house rents full throttle, then where is the need for relief on interest on housing loans?
3. Today there is an uproar in the social media – surrounding the supposed failure of the government in competently handling the COVID-19 crisis. Frankly people should remember that talk is easy – and very, very cheap. We have to remember that we are constrained by many compulsions – we are short of manpower, we are short of funds, we are short of skills, we are short of required number of skilled health workers, we are short of hospital beds, we are short of quarantine facilities, we are short of PPE for our frontline workers. And, worst of all, we are short of responsible and dutiful citizens who refuse to contribute to the cause of the pandemic.
We have to remember that we are dealing with an invisible enemy. This unseen scrooge has ravaged even the very best of economies around the world. And yet, by comparison, Bhutan’s record is among the very best and most competent – in fact we have not done badly at all - our performance so far has been sterling. Even our King has turned himself into a foot soldier and is leading the battle from the frontlines. What more can you ask for?
There are bound to be some slip-ups. Since when have we become such a competent society that we are able to build an airtight defense against everything and anything? Please remember that we are constraint by many things. Under the circumstance, lets be thankful that there are people who are working tirelessly – while others know nothing beyond grumbling.
Just because there was an Omicron outbreak in the community in Wangdue recently, people are going crazy. Did you really believe that Bhutan could have prevented community outbreak forever, when the whole world is experiencing it? We have to be really stupid to have believed it. Please remember that failure is not because of the sum total - but because of the failure of one or two.
If nothing, atleast let us not complain so much. Ofcourse there are bound to be difficulties – we are not on a holiday – we are not in a Last Tango situation. We are in a crisis - we have a serious problem in our hands. Complaining does not help. What helps is DOING what we are supposed to do, and NOT doing what we are not supposed to do.
We believe that we understand the problems people are facing – that is a falsehood. We simply have no idea what some people are suffering – the extent of their suffering is beyond imagination. Think of the government and the King – I can’t even begin to think how they are coping – but they are.
Let alone everything else, simply thinking of the cost of vaccinations, cost of hundreds of thousands of RT-PCR tests and cost of quarantines – it leaves me breathless. SO PLEASE STOP GRUMBLING! If lockdown is deemed necessary, if it is the only way forward, let us have lockdown.
When a lockdown was declared in Thimphu four days back – not many were surprised. Most of us have been expecting it. I mean proactive leadership by His Majesty the King and strong containment measures by the government notwithstanding, few cases of leakages were to be expected – it would be paranormal if Bhutan did not record any community infections, particularly given that the blasted thing has been going on for the past 2 years. Three more days of lockdown is justified – regardless of the inconveniences it causes.
The problem with lockdowns is that it causes a very strange and unusual problem – tiredness brought on by having to do nothing!
Long periods of inactivity can be terribly unnerving. What can a man do? – hour after hours and days of being confined within a limited space can wreck havoc on your patience and tolerance level. The monotony can get frustrating.
On the second morning of the lockdown, I decided to treat myself to an assortment of activities. I began by vacuuming my car and meticulously wiping the dashboard and other plastic and rubber paraphernalia clean of dust and grime. Then I pulled out my water jet/spray system and washed my car to a subdued shine.
With still plenty of time in hand, I looked around to see what else I could do. I noticed that the drain was quite simply filthy - cluttered with pebbles, swollen grains of discarded rice, onion peels, cigarette butts, rags and numerous waffles of dried red chilies from some castaway Emma Datsi.
I began to jet-spray the drain with my water jet system, making sure that I control the force of the jet so that the plasterwork do not peel off. It took me a while because the damn drain runs into over three hundred feet long and the work is a laborious one. But at the end of my endeavors, the drain was squeaky clean and free of years of muck and filth. That done – I still had time in hand. I realized that the compound around the building was strewn with trash.
So I put on my hand gloves and started to pick the trash and deposit them inside a double-layered trash bag. In the middle of it all, my wife comes out of the house and taking on a posture of an indignant Mama-san, wants to know:
“Why are you picking the trash? We do not throw trash around – they are the ones who do. So they should do the cleaning. Why should you do it?”
I replied:
“That, you see Madam, is the difference – that is the reason why I am a better person than they are.
“That is why they are the Dashos, while I am the Draksho!!"
She gives me a quizzical blank look and tells me:
“Whatever …. up to you.”
Finally things seem to be falling into place for India – in its efforts at vaccinating its citizens against the COVID-19. India’s success is good news for Bhutan – on many fronts.
I have been truly encouraged by the falling numbers in new cases in India. Their figures for the past one week have been as follows:
22nd June, 2021 54,393
21st June, 2021 39,096
20th June, 2021 53,009
19th June, 2021 58,588
18th June, 2021 60,800
17th June, 2021 62,409
16th June, 2021 67,294
One can see that the number of new cases has consistently fallen every day for the past one week. If this keeps up, Bhutan should see some respite soon enough. There is no reason why India should not succeed. They have all the resources at their disposal. And now the political will seems to be in place too.
Here is wishing India and the Indian people the VERY BEST OF SUCCESS.
Once again the annual Cordyceps collection season is here. Although so far no COVID-19 cases have been reported from the villages that engage in the annual harvests, we still need to be vigilant.
I do not know if it is a cause for worry – but I am a little unnerved by a sudden and overwhelming interest in, of all things, silver coins! In recent times, the whole country is abuzz with talk of Betangs – or more accurately – Boetrums. These are Tibetan silver coins that are most often confused for ours – even by the National Museum in Paro. I prefer to call them by the name “Boetrum” which is a combination of two words:
Boe = Tibet
Trum = Coin
These coins are also known by other names, depending upon their period of coinage, such as: Tangka, Kong-par Tangka, Gaden Tangka, Srang etc. They look like these:
Something is fueling demand for these coins. Amazingly it appears that the entire country is being combed for these coins. Even a villager in one of the remote villages in Tangmachhu, Lhuentse tells me that the entire village is aware of the hunt for these coins. In Thimphu, Paro, Punakha and Wangdue, everybody seems to be talking about the demand for these coins. Someone from Taang in Bumthang asked me about the matter.
Some have opined that there is a newfound demand for them in China or Tibet China – I am not sure which. Regardless of whether the persons seeking to buy these coins are Bhutanese or non-Bhutanese, I would still be worried – because I wouldn’t be surprised if our northern borders end up being used as the exit points for these coins.
Well, this doesn’t really come as a surprise – in my thinking, the regions in the extreme north and east of our country were always at risk. The recent report of active COVID-19 cases in Merak proves it.
I had already warned last year that there is a need to watch the northern and eastern borders bordering Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh. I gave my reasons in the following:
https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-amorous-cordyceps-collectors.html
Detection of COVID-19 cases in the community in Merak should not be considered paranormal but the government should be concerned, particularly for the fact that the village is a closely knit cluster and transmission can be rapid and total. The emergence of cases in Merak should cause us to be wary and give us a reason for surveillance in the following northbound communities that have traditional links with Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh:
Merak and Sakten in Trashigang
Dhur in Bumthang
Roelmateng/Khoma in Lhuntse
Laya and villages in Lunana in Gasa
Tobrang in Trashi Yangtse
Lingzhi, Mitsayue, Chebitsa and Gongyuel in Thimphu
Sephu in Wangdue
Perhaps even in the villages in the north of Haa and Paro.
The alluring khandrums in Phari is, if anything, incidental - trade in Yartsa Guenboop across the north is perhaps the most compelling reason for prohibited journeys into Tibet China. Followed by smuggling of gold, sandalwood, US$ cash and counterfeit currencies are likely other reasons. During my trip to the Chundugung/Gonzola areas, some Haaps tried to sell me the nonsense that they were headed into Tibet to carry back jandoms and carpets and cakes of jari. I have to be a prize dullard to believe that they would scale frigid high mountain passes to carry back such high volume, low value merchandize.
Strangely, in Koortoe areas, I was told by a pony driver whom I had hired during my trip to Singye Dzong – that they go into Tibet over the ridge north of Tshokar lake in Singye Dzong – for smuggling color TV’s and cheap footwear and solar powered items of daily use.
We cannot let our guards down in the knowledge that our northern borders are patrolled to prevent incursions by the Tibetans and the Moenpas of Tawang. I am more worried about the incorrigible Bhutanese slithering into Tibet and Tawang/Arunachal Pradesh to sell/buy/trade – in the process pickup a free merchandize we do not need – COVID-19 virus.
Prime Minister Dr. Lotay Tshering has been unfailing in his reminder to us that we need to achieve 80% vaccination of the eligible population to achieve what is known as “Herd Immunity”. The Health Ministry’s website records that as at the end of day on 1st April, 2021, a staggering 434,837 Bhutanese individuals turned up and got their vaccinations - that is an impressive 87.64% of the eligible population in the country. And we still have one more day to go. Add to that the fact that the frontline workers are yet to receive theirs. So if this is not a sick April Fool joke, Dr. Lotay Tshering has every right to allow himself the luxury of a Tango, or if he prefers, a Hoopla dance in whatever quarantine facility he is currently lodged in – having returned from a trip to Bangladesh just a few days back.
But hang on just a minute – the Health Ministry reports that there was 13 new positive cases in the last 24 hours – all of them Bhutanese who returned from abroad!!!!!
You do not have to be an Einstein to realize that this must be the RAPA group returning from Dacca.
I fervently pray to the all-healing Sangey Menlha that we are not seeing another case of a Mata Hari amongst us. The emergence of one Mata Hari recently has already caused consternation among the Bhutanese society who now believes that the case is not as simple and straightforward as it is made to look like.
For the past many years, on every National Day Celebration address since his taking the reigns of the country, His Majesty the King has been encouraging and goading the Bhutanese people, his subjects, to work harder, perform better and bring change in the way we do things. Seeing no change, His Majesty finally decided that enough had been spoken – he decided to deliver his wishes in writing – in the form of two Kashos, during the last National Day. It was painful - to me that was an indication that Bhutanese as a society was irredeemable.
Only a few days back, I was telling two friends at the MyMart – that Bhutan has no dearth of people with smart brains. Unfortunately, we have precious few people with any minds. We have people with brilliant brains working on our many committees – but they produce work that can only be the products of people with swathed minds. And yet, the following article authored by a friend that was published in the influential "The Atlantic", could be an indication that not everything may be lost for us:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/02/coronavirus-pandemic-bhutan/617976/
Obviously there is still chance for the Bhutanese race – that is if we survive. A Bhutanese friend worries as follows:
I have run a statistical model based on the current fertility rate. Population will decline at 1.5% per year. This is not even considering out migration and cross marriage. In 20 years the rate will fall below 1.5 and it is no longer reversible. So it becomes a road roller without brakes. And unlike other existential problems we faced before, nothing can save us. Singapore is in that road roller situation – fighting a loosing war. But Singapore has suggested that they could import Chinese from China, if need be. Bhutan has no such possibility.
Even as I write out this blog post, the global COVID-19 cases stand at 101,441,979, of which Bhutan’s number stand at 856. For once I am glad of the fact that we rank so low among world nations – posting low numbers and being counted among the achievers is good!
Sadly, in the thick of the pandemic, the human race still remains a confused lot.
First, they do not trust their own determination and resolve to do the right thing – they surrender their lives to the hastily rushed and unproven vaccines that are still considered “experimental drugs approved for emergency use”.
Second, a majority of the people – even literate ones - seem to be under the impression that the vaccines are a cure for the virus. God only knows where they got that idea.
Third, there is so much hysteria and dread of death by the virus that people are driven to ignore everything else – there are even more critical issues that should matter more than surviving the virus. The incidence of death by COVID-19 is negligible – it does not call for this level of paranoia. There is no cure yet for the virus – but we do have safe and tested defense against its infection – the prescribed public health measures put in place by the government and health authorities. As long as we rigidly follow the safety protocols, we should be more than OK.
Fourth, people seem to think that wearing a face-mask is fortifying themselves from being infected by others. This mindset needs an overhaul – we have to realize that even more important than protecting ourselves, the bigger responsibility we fulfill in diligently wearing the face-masks is – protecting others from ourselves. Once you realize this, then your sense of responsibility and duty is heightened – you know you are serving the community – and not just yourself.
And finally, this COVID-19 pandemic exposes the most fundamental of human failings – forever focusing on the SELF. People still do not seem to realize the inter-connected nature of modern society. It is no longer possible to survive in isolation – you are not safe until those around you are also safe. Thus the recent attempts by some rich nations (the bickering between the UK and the EU) to hoard the vaccines are a sign that they have not understood that doing so is self-defeating. They forget that the populations in the poor nations form the larger percentage of the human melee. If this section of society suffers, the rich nations too will perish. The people of the rich nations need to understand that in safeguarding the health and life of the poor nations, they are safeguarding themselves.
During my many years of trekking the frigid alpine regions of Bhutan, one lifelong lesson I learnt is this: that it was even more important to protect my support team from the harsh and unforgiving elements than myself – because if they fail – I did not have a rat’s ass of a chance at survival – they go down, I will definitely go down!
The Bhutanese people are only just now speaking of the COVID-19 vaccines – I have been speaking about it as far back as early March, 2020. The following is the reply from a friend who is a scientist and an accomplished authority on matters related to viruses. The following was what was told to me on March 14, 2020:
People need to know that, in the short term, a vaccine will not protect them. Only commonsensical public health measures — like social distancing and hand hygiene — will do that.
My latest views on the COVID-19 vaccine was posted on this blog on January 4, 2021 – it read:
Certainly the arrival and administration of the vaccines is good news. Now we have to grit our teeth and wait a few months to see that in their wake the vaccines have not unleashed a Lucifer even more deadly than the COVID-19.
Next day, apparently Dr. Simone Gold of America’s Frontline Doctors, USA made the following very pointed remarks about the vaccines, to a gathering of large audience:
The vaccines – all those that have been rolled out should be termed: “experimental biological agents” According to her the vaccines are still at experimental stage and their efficacy and safety have not been conclusively determined. The vaccines should be used only in emergency situations.
She says the vaccines are not a cure – thus if someone is not sick, then healthy people should not be vaccinated. In particular she says that people under 20 and women who are in the child-bearing age should not be vaccinated.
She says that it is a huge national security risk to vaccinate frontline workers – like health workers, police, DeSuup etc. because she says that if some unknown side effect impacts these critical service providers’ health, then the nation is in big trouble. If at all, the candidates for the vaccines should be the sick and the frail.
Another very important point she makes is this:
If the vaccines were so effective and safe as claimed, why are we still required to wear face-masks, required to go through other safety protocols like physical distancing and hand washing? And, if we are still required to go through all that, then why do we need to take the shots and run the risk of being exposed to some unknown side effects caused by these unproven vaccines?
In addition to all the above, The New York Times just minutes back updated their news report on the following lines:
That Covid-19 vaccine appointment may not just be hard to get — it may not even be all that secure. Thousands of people across many states of the US are now not getting their vaccine shots – their appointments have been abruptly cancelled/postponed. The excuse given is that there are delays in delivery of the vaccines.
Really? If delivery was going to be a bottleneck, why was appointments given to people for the vaccinations, weeks in advance? Is something afoot? Lets wait and watch.
That is what I have been saying precisely: LET US WAIT AND WATCH – before we commit ourselves!
I am glad that our King and the Government has decided that if and when we do the vaccinations, we will do it at one go across the nation. Another decision that I whole-heartedly support is that the government has left the decision to us – whether to accept or not to accept the vaccinations. As always, these are sound decisions. This will give us time to watch the developments around the world. So far India has been generous to us, as always, and gave us 150,000 shots free of cost. We need in excess of one million shots. So it will be a while until we have the numbers needed. Then the Da Naag will kick in …. So the earliest we will be able to do the vaccinations - if we do go ahead with the program - it will be sometime in March.
Thankfully, if there are problems with the vaccines, some reports are likely to emerge by then. This should help us take an educated decision.
LATEST UPDATE:
The Serum Institute of India (SII) has recently released a fact sheet stating that their Covishield vaccine CANNOT BE USED on any and every body. I believe that Covishield vaccine is what we are getting. Already fifty-two adverse cases have been reported in the country’s capital, New Delhi – on the first day of immunization.
I am glad that the Government has extended the lockdown in Thimphu and Paro for a further period of 2 weeks. Hopefully, we are able to break the chain of transmission by then and should there be any undetected or unreported active cases elsewhere in other Dzongkhags, we would come to know of them.
There is no doubt that this lockdown would cause all sorts of inconveniences to a lot of people. Inconveniences would be an understatement – I can imagine a few hundred problems people may be facing – different kind of problems at different levels of society. We are already seeing one ugly face of lockdown – a spike in domestic violence.
The rich may have the money to buy whatever they fancy – at whatever asking price. Unfortunately, they have a problem – their money cannot buy what is not there to be had. The poor man on the other hand has a problem quite distinct from that of the rich man – he has the problem of lack of purchasing power – he does not have money to buy the most basic needs – not even at half the price.
There are rumors of incidences where clandestine lovers got caught in the lockdown - in hotel rooms – with someone else’s wives. By contrast, lovers are pinning away for company and togetherness – rudely separated by the lockdown, at each far end of the city.
My problem I suppose is something of a universal problem – how to stop gaining weight during these inactive times. The moment I heard that the lockdown is being extended by two more weeks – I got serious about keeping the weight down. My answer:
Oranges and Kiwi Fruits
I determined that the first step - for a while at least - is to cut down on intake of carbs - cut down on the rice. As of yesterday, I am onto fruits - oranges and kiwi fruits - I don't like apples. I hope it helps. And I hope these fruits remain to be available - until the end of lockdown.
All across the world a good number of countries have started to administer COVID-19 vaccines to their population, as authorized by their individual governments and regulatory authorities. Luckily, in Bhutan we are not talking of vaccines as yet, and that, to my mind, is a good thing. Let us give it few months before we decide if the vaccines are safe, in addition to being effective.
On the other hand some of us in Bhutan are pleading with the government to extend the current lockdown by few more days - until the recent surge in new cases are brought under control, or until we are able to determine what is the cause behind this sudden surge in new cases. A glimmer of hope is that we had only 6 new cases yesterday - an encouraging drop in cases for the first time since the announcement of our second lockdown.
It is encouraging that some Dzongkhags have not reported any cases. Is that a cause for relief and rejoice for the people of these Dzongkhags? Or should they worry that perhaps their active cases remain undetected and unreported. What are the chances that there may be cases that are simmering to spiral out of control? Have we done enough to determine that they truly are free of positive cases? Do you think we need to find out – to be certain beyond doubt – before we heave a sigh of relief?
Certainly the arrival and administration of the vaccines is good news. Now we have to grit out teeth and wait a few months to see that in their wake the vaccines have not unleashed a Lucifer even more deadly than the COVID-19.
But one thing is for sure – the onus is on us to do the right thing – to behave responsibly and follow instructions as determined and proven to be necessary. While the government does not have a monopoly on common sense and wisdom, it certainly has better access to know better.
The Royal Government of Bhutan has recently announced that the ongoing lockdown could be lifted after the New Year and the Nginlo that is coming up tomorrow and day after. I should be relieved – but I am not. A sense of unease overwhelms me. I fear that we may be opening up too soon, too hastily. We have never seen such double-digit cases in the past. In the last 10 days, we have been averaging 20.9 new cases a day. This is very worrisome – something has triggered this surge in new cases – we need to understand what caused it. Even if we cannot yet understand the reason for the surge, we can allow ourselves to relax – only once we see a drop in new cases. Or, at least we have been able to undertake mass testing in all the Dzongkhags. Look at the following figure:
Record of recent COVID-19 cases
His Majesty the King had personally subjected himself to two quarantine isolations. He has given out Kabneys and Patangs to a number of people – to recognize their achievement in their efforts towards containment of the epidemic. He has awarded medals of valor and service to organizations at the forefront of our fight against the pandemic. After all that, it would be a real pity if we allow ourselves to be impatient and let go before time, and before making sure that we are doing the right thing.
I have always said through a number of past posts on this Blog that there is no escape for us – that we too must face the St. Martinma’s Day, eventually. That day is here – and we have seen that the Bhutanese people were ready, and prepared to face it. If that is true, then let us be prepared to face the lockdown for few more days – until we are cock sure that we have been successful in breaking the chain of transmission.
Let us encourage the King and the Government to extend the lockdown for few more days – until the numbers are under control and until we can complete mass testing across all the twenty Dzongkhags.
It is now announced that the UK Government has given emergency approval that clears the way for Britain to begin mass inoculations using the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine. Please read the full report at the following:
I hope the vaccine is not only effective but also proves to be safe.
