KUENSEL THAT THE PEOPLE SHALL BE INFORMED

W E D N E S D A Y, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 0
t
/ V
 

Drukgyal
dzong
construction
resumes
Phub Dem | Paro

Drukgyal dzong reconstruc-

tion resumed last Wednesday
after remaining shut for 16
days following the nationwide
lockdown declared on August
11. 
Today, construction is in
full swing. 
Although the lockdown
has hampered work, project
manager Namgay Dorji said
that the construction progress
was still two months ahead of
schedule.
The reconstruction project
that began in 2016 had been
three months ahead of sched-
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Currently, the dzong recon-
struction is in the fifth phase. 
Utse, which is the main

COV I D - 19
Taking the
part of the dzong, was inaugu-
rated in 2017 coinciding with
the first birthday of the HRH
The Gyalsey. BHUTAN - 225

zoning system
Out of five three-story
structure in the fifth phase,
one-story is already completed. 
While the lockdown did GLOBAL

beyond lockdown
not hamper the completion
date, he said that it incurred COVID-19
a substantial financial loss to
the government.
SITUATION
For 16 days, there was no
work done but the project had
to pay the wages. Approxi-
mately the shutdown bore
Zoning system to resolve the address problem 25,621,030
Yangchen C Rinzin especially in the delivery of the zoning task force, said CONFIRMED CASES

D
a financial burden of Nu 1.2
essential services. The task that His Majesty felt that if the
million (M). 
ividing the force member came up with lockdown continued for a long
Covid-19 protocol
The camp and construction
capital city and
the dzongkhags
43 zones and two super zones.
In two days about 31,000
time the lockdown associated
problem would be greater than
17,708,077
site falls in a self-containment
into zones, an cards were distributed to peo- the Covid-19 problems. RECOVERED
emergency ex- ple by almost 900 De-Suups, “With problems increas-
zone out of which moving in
ercise during the nationwide which allowed people to move ing, His Majesty felt we must

854,222
and out is restricted. 
lockdown would continue as a out for shopping and take a come up with a viable solu-
The workers, according to
proper planning tool hereafter. brisk walk during different tion. That was when His Maj-
the project manager, are under
strict surveillance, and they are
With the command from times of the day.  Head of the esty came up with the concept DEATHS
His Majesty The King, a task Office of Performance Man- of zoning system and move-
restricted to visit even the near-
force was formed to develop a agement under His Majesty’s ment pass to try and address
est shops. “They have no contact
zoning system to address the Secretariat (HMS), Karma the problems.”
with the locals and outsiders.”  Source: The Straits Times, ANN
issues during the lockdown, Yonten who is a member of Pg 2
Pg 3 As of September 1, 2020
HOME
PAGE 2 Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL
Taking the zoning system
beyond lockdown
From Pg 1
The zoning system will
apply and cards would be still
used as and when a lockdown
takes place. The government
has partially lifted the lock-
down and people can now
move around their localities
without any timing or having
to carry a movement pass.
 
Beyond lockdown
Karma Yonten said that with
His Majesty’s farsighted vi-
sion, the task force was asked
to go beyond and design a
zoning system that would be
used as a planning tool for
future plans.
“Using the experiences
gained from the pandemic,
the zoning system takes into
consideration how to prepare
ourselves for a new normal or
post Covid-19,” Karma Yonten
said. “The pandemic gave us
an opportunity to sit down, re-
flect and prepare a system that
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would address similar issues in
the future.”
Karma Yonten said that as
a result of this zoning exercise,
it was realised that there was a
need for a proper addressing
system in Thimphu where the
country still lacks postal codes
or pin code systems even after
60 years of development.
The National Land Com-
mission, De-Suung and the
zoning team are working on
digitizing the address system
instead of postal address or pin
codes. The teams have already
geo-coded each house that will
give details of each flat, build-
ing numbers and accurate ad-
dressing system of the location
in each zone using the zoning
system as a platform.
“This was important be-
cause we still use landmarks
to give someone the address,”
Karma Yonten said. “One of the
biggest issues during this lock-
down was delivering essential
9am
10am
3:30pm
11:30am
2:30pm
5:25pm
4:20pm
7:20pm
10:30pm
6:30pm
8:30pm
10:30pm
1:10pm
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items where it took almost an
hour to find the house.”  disturbed,” Karma Yonten said.
Karma Yonten said that the
zoning team is already meeting
with Bhutan Post and Throm-
des on how they can use the
details to address issues of the
addressing system. “As Covid-
19 is here to stay, the zoning
system must act as responses
to a similar pandemic or any
kind of disaster in the future.”
 
Independent zones
A zoning system would also cre-
ate independent areas where
each zone will operate as an in-
dependent entity. Karma Yont-
en said an independent zone
would mean zones that would
have facilities like essential ser-
vices, grocery shops, vegetable
shops and medical facilities.
“This is important because, dur-
ing pandemics, it would reduce
the threat, as people would not
intermingle and remain in their
respective zones.”
The zoning system created
recently also saw that some of
the zones did not have essential
facilities. “If essential services
are not available, it would isolate
Four die of suspected
poisoning in Tsangkha
MB Subba
The number of people who
have died due to suspected
consumption of a toxin in Sala-
mji village in Tsangkha gewog,
Dagana, reached four after a
man died in Gelephu hospital
(GCRRH) on August 31.
Two women in their 40s had
died in the Gelephu hospital
and Damphu general hospital
on August 28. The first victim,
a 55-year-old man, who had
fallen sick on August 25 died in
GCRRH the next day.  Such conditions, he said,
The others started to fall
sick after the funeral gathering
of the 55-year-old man. The
patients are suspected to have
consumed bangchang (locally
brewed grain alcohol) although
the cause of the deaths is yet to
be ascertained.  to be locally brewed and I’m
Six people altogether had
fallen sick and two of them have
been referred by Damphu hos-
pital to the Jigme Dorji Wang-
chuck National Referral Hospi-
the zone and supply would be
“With this concept, we’re broad-
ening it and see how we can
make each zone independent.”
Households in the zones
without essential facilities have
agreed to contribute place/
space to be used as shops while
the economic affairs ministry
will take care of the license part.
If there is no space, the govern-
ment will come up with tempo-
rary plans during a crisis.
 
Mass testing in future
The zoning system in future
will help in mass testing if re-
quired as it would have all the
details of people in each zone.
The system will help the health
ministry come up with repre-
sentative sampling in a short
period and also know who to
call for the test.
Karma Yonten said the cur-
rent zoning exercise has listed
all the details of shopkeepers,
taxi and bus drivers, De-Suups,
police and the army. “This will
help in testing frontline work-
ers immediately. We’ll be much
better prepared should there be
tal (JDWNRH), where they are
being treated.  deceased have been sent to the
All four were members of
the same family.  trol (RCDC) in Thimphu. Family
According to reports, they
showed similar symptoms in-
cluding diarrhoea, shortness of
breath, and organ failure.  ceased, Kedar Kumar Rai, said
Medical Superintendent of
GCRRH, Dr Dorji Tshering, said
that they had died of acute liver
failure. “What I could gather was
that the acute liver failure was
probably due to some kind of
toxin,” he said.  communicable disease.
occurs in wild mushroom poi-
soning but added that they had
no history of consuming any
mushroom. He said that there
were also suspicions of the toxin
coming from the bangchang.
“The bangchang is said
sure that they have been brew-
ing that for a long time. If it is
bangchang, then it has to be
found out how it happened,”
Dr Dorji Tshering said.  were together.”
a lockdown in future.”
Zoning system for
dzongkhags
The zoning system will be uni-
form in all the 20 dzongkhags
although the focus was on the
thromdes given the density of
population, movement and the
risk associated.
The zoning system will help
target red zone areas so that if
there is one positive from one
zone, the rest of the zones need
not go under the lockdown.
“We’re looking at a targeted
approach, so that the whole
country doesn’t suffer because
of an outbreak in one area.”
The zoning team consists
of members from works and
human settlement ministry, the
agriculture ministry, economic
affairs, ECB, NSB, Thimphu
Thromde and HMS.
The zones were created
based on Thimphu thromde’s
plan that had 13 urban villages.
The zones were defined based
on the boundary, number
of shops within the zone, the
proximity of shops from home
and population density.
Blood samples from the
Royal Centre for Disease Con-
members of the deceased are
awaiting the toxicology report.  
Husband of one of the de-
that family members were in-
formed that the patients in JD-
WNRH were recovering. 
He said that the delay in the
toxicology report had created
fear in the village of an unknown
 
“People hesitate to visit
our house due to the fear of a
communicable disease. This
problem would be solved if the
toxicology reports come soon,”
he said, adding that it has been
a week since the blood sam-
ples from the deceased were
taken.  
Kedar Kumar Rai said, “I’m
also worried about contracting
the disease if it at all is commu-
nicable because my wife and I
 

1010: The centre of information
in times of emergency
Jigme Wangchuk
Stranded. When can the shops
open? How is one supposed to
get to the hospital? Why is veg-
etable order and supply such a
frustrating and futile affair?
Eight days after the govern-
ment imposed the nationwide
lockdown, these were the ques-
tions.  Twenty-two days after
lockdown, these are still the
major questions.
We knew a lockdown could
happen, but it still came as a sur-
prise. It happened overnight, so
to speak. No one was prepared.
Was there complacency on the
part of the general public? Many
agree there was. August 11. With
the discovery of a quarantined
individual who tested Covid-19
positive six weeks after entering
Bhutan, the prime minister an-
nounced a sudden lockdown. It
was a sensible move, but there
would be problems.
When the lockdown was
announced, many found
themselves ill-prepared. As did
organisations, communication
fell apart. Something had to be
done. Otherwise, the pandemic
and the lockdown together
could bring untold challenges
to the people. The first few
days saw hundreds of mobile
numbers being circulated, only
Drukgyal dzong construction resumes
From Pg 1
The project already stored ne-
cessities at the camp and distrib-
utes it to the workers to minimize
physical contact with outsiders.
As the work involves all kinds
of workers, Namgay Dorji said
that it was impossible to main-
tain physical distancing and the
focus was on handwashing and
other health protocols. “We are
considering ourselves as a big
family trying to mitigate possible
transmission from outside.”
The lockdown began to take
its toll on the mental and physi-
cal health of the workers. Some
labourers were of the view that it
was the right decision to resume
the work, as they were restless,
and it posed health risks.  of skilled workers ranges between
One of the workers at the site,
Dorji said that as a regular worker,
it was as if something was missing
when he stayed home jobless. “If
the lockdown extends more than
The information centre began functioning from August 18
to find most of them “unreach-
able” or “switched off”. A dozen
other hotline numbers were
announced for different type of
services. Almost all were most
of the time jammed.  are eight data collectors and a
His Majesty’s Secretariat
walked in with an idea of a single
catch-all call centre.
Phenday Lam, Thimphu,
the office of Natural Resources
Development Corporation Lim-
ited, the home of the call centre,
which started with 58 de-suup
volunteers on August 18. They
came in all raw. At nine in the
morning on the first day, the vol-
unteers had to undergo a mock
session because no one had ever
done this before. Call handling
and holding are professional
a month, I would have returned
to my village, as it was suffocating
without work.”
Considering this lockdown
as an opportune time for work-
ers to either quit or reduce the
consumption of tobacco and
alcohol, the project committee,
in consultation with the workers
decided not to distribute tobacco.
The project manager said
there was no major challenge
as the project management had
stored enough materials for a
month. “If the lockdown prolongs
access to materials could have
been a problem.”
In the meantime, the daily
wage of the workers was in-
creased. Initially, the daily wage
Nu 576 and Nu 315, including 50
percent zorig chusum allowance.
The unskilled workers are paid Nu
215 according to the minimum
wage for the national workforce.
Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL
skills.
There are 50 parallel lines,
which means 50 call executives.
The hall is packed. Each table
has a phone line. Besides, there
seven-member technical team
that generates data and provide
recommendations.
The centre now does not
get as many calls. Could it be
because the centre is very effi-
cient? “We have flaws, but we are
improving,” said a member who
didn’t want to be named.
I want to give it a try.
“Hello! Lockdown has been
eased a little now but after 21
days indoors, I can’t figure out
what to do. Where should I go?”  by getting all actors on the same
I tried my best sound stupid
The skilled workers saw a 30
percent increment on the zorig
chusum allowance. For instance,
the daily wage of a grade one
worker rose from Nu 486 to Nu
583. 
The cabinet approved a new
30 percent allowance for the un-
skilled labourers. The revised pay
for the unskilled labourers is Nu
280 per day. 
Project Manager Namgay
Dorji said that the increment was
essential to retain the experienced
workers and to meet the increas-
ing price of the commodities. 
He said that as the daily wage
increment has to be managed
from the approved budget of Nu
500M, the project has to be com-
pleted five months early. 
Initially, the project was
scheduled to be completed by
December 2022. However, Nam-
gay Dorji said that the work might
prolong until the end of 2022 but
HOME
and irritating. I was taken aback
by the voice from the other end of
the line. “Sir, where are you cur-
rently, exactly? Changzamtog.
OK, here is what you could do…
You can walk around your house
but do not forget to wear your
face mask. And, please avoid
crowds.”
From the far end of the room,
I could see the man answering
my call. He was most polite and
professional.
The centre produces daily
reports that are submitted to His
Majesty’s Secretariat, prime min-
ister’s office and other relevant
organisations and agencies. This
has helped overall coordination
page. There have been 14 such
within the budget.
“As of today, more than 65
percent of the project is com-
pleted within 40 percent of the
PAGE 3
reports so far, and 11,434 calls—
816 per day. It is challenging to
attend to the many calls and to
address all the problems but
de-suups are coping all right.
Three nights they had to work
24 hours. Now, they work from
8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
An eighty-year-old woman
calls from Jungzhina. She has
run out of doma and can’t go
out to stock up. She needs them
now. A man must take his baby
to Changangkha Lhakhang.
The baby is sick. A tanker driver
is stranded at the vegetable
market in Changzamtog and
must pay Nu 2,000 daily to the
caretaker there. How does the
centre solve such problems?
By the way, these are real prob-
lems. The centre has them all
recorded.
The centre’s rapid response
team comes in. Essentials and
supplies are bought and deliv-
ered as part of the Royal Kidu. 
The team is buying sanitary
items for a mother who has
just given birth at Jigme Dorji
Wangchuck National Referral
Hospital. 
This call centre is to be the
one information centre in the
entire country. Even the PMO’s
Grievance Helpdesk has now
been merged with the centre.
 Call 1010.
expenditure.”
The project has spent Nu
238.2M.
EDITORIAL
PAGE 4 Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | KUENSEL

Finding MY COUNTRY, MY TOWN

solutions

A
few months ago, it was inappropriate, even
wrong to interpret a pandemic like the Covid-
19 as an opportunity or a fortunate occurrence.
Five months after we detected the first case and
went through a strict national lockdown, the
general agreement is that the pandemic has opened our eyes
and minds.
It is still sensitive to call it a blessing in disguise. But what
the pandemic taught us, if we are willing to learn from the
disruptions it caused and how we coped with it, It has to be
the most powerful transformative force. When we were caught
off-guard by a sudden lockdown, it exposed our shortcomings.
And when we rushed to ease the inconveniences and help
people with improved service delivery, it showed us endless
opportunities.
Officials and frontline workers were overwhelmed with
problems and complaints.  The lockdown came without a
warning and there were no plans. The immediate need was
essentials, basic items like rice, oil, sugar salt and baby food
to see through the lockdown. Despite immediate efforts to
ease the problem, it failed. It failed because we have had no
plans. It failed because we waited for a crisis or a disaster to
put plans in place. Rendered temporarily immobile : A cycle that’s been locked up during the
The capital city was divided into zones. It expanded, later, duration of the lockdown Photo: Phuntsho Gombu, Trashiyangtse
to the dzongkhags. It was not as easy as expected. Besides the
numerous hotlines created overnight, which created more
confusion, delivery of essentials was delayed because there Send in your pictures to: formcmt@gmail.com
was no zonation or exact address of the capital city’s residents.
The tall white building behind Changangkha Lhakhang,
which many could relate to a decade ago is no more relevant. 
MY SAY
There are several tall white buildings behind the lhakhang
now. The city doesn’t have a proper postal address. The need
was recognised years ago, but we are still looking for people
by landmark. Olakha and Babesa were villages not long ago. 
Landmarks like Dantak “wet canteen” or Dratshang building
Fortune favours the brave
will not work. Every building looks the same. Ever since kuensel and other and  cowardice in our My say is that a sense
A team looking at the zoning system of the capital city is news media broke the news society.  of composure and a
looking beyond the lockdown in zoning the city. This is a wel- about the rising covid-19 Although the public at little bravery would go a
comed decision. The Covid-19 pandemic may come to an end cases in the country,  there large have been cooperative long way in fighting the
one day, but we could see other crisis- natural or man-made. seems to be a growing and obedient during the invisible enemy. If there
Given our location in a fragile ecosystem, we are prone to bickering among some lockdown , their frustration are discrepancies in the
Bhutanese netizens against is building up and it’s often system tackling the virus,
natural disasters like floods, fire, landslides and earthquakes.
the Confirmed patients. We displayed on the internet our ( citizen’s) priority
Mapping the city is of paramount importance. know It’s not the first time for all to see. The voices in should be to ensure that they
However, this is not a new concept. Two decades ago, we during this crisis that we are social media is a reality we are instantly rectified and
realised the importance of proper town planning. The capital witnessing such antagonism cannot just ignore  as some prevented. Now, is clearly
city was undergoing rapid changes and we realised we need and stigmatization among bunch of “fake accounts” not the right time to review
a plan. A grand master plan that encompasses 25 years was our own people. anymore. The force is there, policies and hunt for the fall
readied based on a concept called intelligent urbanism. The From initially blaming visible and it’s functional at guy.  Remember that just like
idea was good. There was no implementation. the tourism industry  to times when confiding unjust you, everybody is praying
If we had, for instance, identified neighbourhood nodes, scrutinizing Bhutanese who incidents in our society for this plight to get over and
distinct residential and commercial areas or had proper postal were brought back from but, and that’s a big but, we just like you, Nobody wishes
codes and addresses, we would have not gone through a lot of abroad,  there have been ought to know when we are to get infected.
numerous instances when being irrational or making The uncontrollable
problems during the lockdown that we experienced. In fact, it
Online trolls have resorted insensitive remarks.  pandemic has gotten inside
would have helped manage the situation. to cyber shaming and The  Health minister our territory but now it’s on
Our strength is making plans, beautiful and convincing disparagement against both already had warned us to not let it  get into our
plans. Our weakness is not implementing them. And the big- corona infected patients and about the community heads. All of us.
ger problem is not fixing accountability. The question is how suspects. transmission being an . 
long will we need the command of the King to implement that While such behaviour inevitable scene and yet
was already agreed or approved. maybe representative of our there are few of us, loudly Kuenzang.
We look up to His Majesty The King for leadership and grave concern and anxiety and offensively displaying Chukha Dzongkhag. 
vision. We fail when we don't live up to the expectation. How , it also unveils shades of our worst reactions when the
long will we depend on commands and orders to find simple xenophobia, political dissent inevitable took place.
solutions to simple problems?

MANAGING DIRECTOR - Bachu Phub Dorji, MANAGING EDITOR - Ugyen Penjor,

PRINTING GM - Karma Nima, MARKETING & SALES GM - Karma J Yangzom, KANGLUNG REGIONAL MANAGER - Ugyen Wangdi

FAO members discuss
hunger and Covid-19 issues
Choki Wangmo
The Covid-19 impact and
consequent disruption in food
supply chains and systems in
the Asia-Pacific region since
February has endangered
more than half of the world’s
undernourished people in the
region.  sure sustainable food security
The number of hungry
people in Southern Asia is ex-
pected to rise by nearly a third
to 330 million by 2030.  in the future.”
To mitigate impacts of the
pandemic on food, agricul-
ture, and livelihoods in the
region, 46 representatives
from member countries par-
ticipated in the 35th session
of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) Asian
and Pacific Regional Confer-
ence (APRC), virtually hosted
by Bhutan in Thimphu yes-
terday.  It includes the mobilisa-
The chair of the confer-
ence and secretary of the agri-
culture ministry, Rinzin Dorji,
said that despite impacts from
the pandemic, many countries
in the region were making ef-
forts to reduce poverty and
hunger.  ience of food systems and
“Covid-19 has helped
the government fast-forward
some of the national goals like
At the service of the old and the underprivileged
Kidu mobile medical unit caters to 100 patients a day during lockdown
Chhimi Dema
The country may have been
under a complete lockdown
for the last 21 days, but the
medical needs of patients and
elderlies, the most vulnerable,
were taken care with service
delivered at the doorsteps.
This was made possible
by His Majesty’s Kidu Mobile
Medical Unit (KMMU). A team
consisting of seven members
monitored the health of about
100 individuals in a day in
Thimphu during the lockdown.
The head of the KMMU,
Dr Phurb Dorji, said that the
team checks and monitors the
health of 56 individuals, 28
patients and their attendants
residing at the Kidu Patient
Guest House in Thimphu cur-
rently.  The team also attends
to the health of individuals in
Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL
HOME PAGE 5
food security.” 
FAO Regional Representa-
tive for Asia and the Pacific,
Jong-Jin Kim said: “We must
come to terms with what is
before us and recognise that
the world and our region has
changed. We must find new
ways to move forward and en-
in the face of these two pan-
demics, as well as prepare for
threats that can and will evolve
 
The participants through The 35th APRC virtual meeting, chaired by the RGoB convened in Thimphu yesterday
interventions and experience
sharing discussed on the channels like e-commerce and policies are adapting to the and obesity continue to rise
FAO’s recently launched com- new technologies that will help emerging food systems in the among children and adults. 
prehensive Covid-19 response reduce food losses, as these are region.  To mitigate the pandem-
and recovery programme. The critical to ensure the flow of nu- A senior economist at the ic’s impact on food security,
programme is designed to pro- tritious foods and to generate FAO, Elbehri Aziz, said that the nutrition, and agriculture,
vide a flexible and coordinated improved incomes for those restrictions due to the pandem- Elbehri Aziz recommended
global response that aims to who work across the entire food ic had resulted in difficulties policy options such as con-
ensure access to nutritious and agriculture sectors. for those involved in the food trolling the spread of the virus
food for everyone.  The delegates examined the system to perform their tasks.  and implementing physical
present situation of the region’s “Farmers producing per- distancing and appropriate
tion of all forms of resources food security, with particular ishable products in labour- health protocols to reduce
and partnerships at country, emphasis on implications intensive value chains are fear and risks. 
regional and global level with linked to the spread of the coro- in an especially vulnerable FAO has conducted rapid
the main aim to mitigate the navirus and its impact on food position.”  assessments of the pandemic’s
immediate impacts of the systems region-wide.  The loss of income due to impact on food security and
pandemic while strength- Members from 22 coun- the economic downturn, there- nutrition in 20 countries of the
ening the longer-term resil- tries, representatives from fore, could lead to deterioration region, including the Pacific
the private and Civil Society of nutritional status, he said.  Islands. 
livelihoods. Organisations shared their ex- Asia-Pacific is home to 479 The conference attended
The four-day conference periences about how farmers, million of the world’s under- by 400 delegates will end on
will consider new marketing consumers and government nourished, while overweight September 4. 
a temporary shelter for the plemented the needs of the department. medical officer and two drivers.
homeless at Rinchen Kuen- national referral hospital by The team of KMMU con- His Majesty’s Kidu Mobile
phen Primary School. providing tele-consultations sists of gynaecologists, senior Medical Unit was initiated in
“We have the specific re- in the paediatric and the den- paediatrician, prosthodontics, 2009 upon Royal Command
sponsibility to give Her Maj- tal department, and to high- senior nurses with expertise to give access to specialised
esty The Gyaltsuen’s Soelra to risk pregnancy patients in the in pain management, senior healthcare to people who live
mothers and newborns during gynaecology and obstetrics nurse anaesthetic, general duty far away from the capital.
the lockdown in the country,”
Dr Phurb said. The team also
caters to the needs of the 32
elderly people residing at
the Goensho Tshamkhang, a
retreat for elderly people, in
Wangsisina, Thimphu.
Besides these, Dr Phurb
Dorji said that the KMMU team
caters to 36 patients visiting the
Kidu Medical Service Centre
(KMSC) for dialysis every day
and monitors patients from
the cancer ward of the national
referral hospital, which was
shifted to the KMSC building.  
Given the expertise with
the KMMU, it also sup-
REGION
PAGE 6 Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine
trial begins in India
INDIA: The much-awaited
trial of COVID-19 vaccine
developed by the University
of Oxford started in India on
Wednesday. Pune-based
Serum Institute of India (SII)
partnered with AstraZeneca
to manufacture the COVID-
19 vaccine candidate for India
and low-and-middle income
countries.
Five volunteers enrolled
to get for the Phase II trial of
Covishield vaccine at Bharti
Vidyapeeth’s Medical College
and Hospital in Pune. The
doctors conducted COVID-
19 and antibodies tests on all
them. Three volunteers had
tested positive for corona-
virus antibodies test, hence
they became ineligible for
the trial. Two of them were
Globally 1 in 3 children missed out on remote
learning during school closures: Unicef
For at least 463 million children
whose schools closed due to
Covid-19, “there was no such
thing as remote learning”, the
head of the UN Children’s Fund
(Unicef ) said today.
Unicef launched a new re-
port outlining the limitations of
remote learning and exposing
the deep inequalities in access.  lenges
“The sheer number of
children whose education
was completely disrupted for
months on end is a global edu-
cation emergency. The reper-
cussions could be felt in econo-
mies and societies for decades
to come,” said Henrietta Fore,
Unicef Executive Director, in a
news release announcing the
findings.
At the height of nationwide
and local lockdowns, nearly 1.5
billion schoolchildren were af-
fected by school closures.
‘Competing Factors’ Im-
pact Learning
The report -- based on a glob-
ally representative analysis on
the availability of home-based
remote learning technology
and tools for children from pre-
primary to upper-secondary
administered the vaccine, PTI
reported.
“Doctors at the hospital
administered the first shot
of the Covishield vaccine to
a 32-year-old man after his
reports of COVID-19 and an-
levels -- also found that even
when children had the neces-
sary platforms, they may not be
able to learn remotely due to
competing factors at home.
The competing factors,
Unicef said, could include pres-
sure to do chores, being forced
to work, a poor environment for
learning, and lack of support in
using the online or broadcast
curriculum.
The report used data from
100 countries, which included
tibodies tests came
out negative,” Dr
Sanjay Lalwani,
medical director
of Bharti Vidyap-
eeth’s Medical Col-
lege, Hospital and
Research Centre
told PTI.
A n o t h e r
48-year-old male
volunteer was also
given the vaccine,
he added. While the
32-year-old volun-
teer works for a pri-
vate company, the other one is
associated with the healthcare
sector, he said. “The two vol-
unteers, who were adminis-
tered the vaccines are being
monitored,” Lalwani said.
Serum Institute of India,
access to television, radio and
internet, and the availability
of curriculum delivered across
these platforms during school
closures.
Stark Inequality With-
in Countries
The report highlighted stark
inequalities across regions
and within countries. School-
children in sub-Saharan Africa
were the worst affected, with
half of all students not reached
the world’s largest vaccine
manufacturer by volume,
selected 17 sites in India to
conduct the Phase II trial of
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.  A
total of 1,600 candidates will
take part in the study.
COVID-19 vaccine candi-
date developed by the Jenner
Institute, a part of the Nuffield
Department of Medicine at the
University of Oxford, showed
a positive result in its initial
trial. According to a report
published in the British medi-
cal journal  The Lancet, the
COVID-19 vaccine produced
a dual immune response in
people aged 18 to 55.
The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation earlier said that
they will provide at-risk fund-
ing of $150 million to support
with remote learning.
Schoolchildren from the
poorest households and those
living in rural areas are also at
high risk of missing out during
closures.  must include expanding access
Globally, 72 percent of
schoolchildren unable to access
remote learning live in their
countries’ poorest households.
In upper middle-income coun-
tries, schoolchildren from the
poorest households account for
up to 86 percent of students un-
Serum Institute of India’s
manufacturing of two prom-
ising vaccines by University of
Oxford and Novavax.
Under this agreement,
drugmaker SII can charge a
maximum of $3 per dose for
the two COVID-19 vaccines.
The vaccine maker will get the
funding from the Gates Foun-
dation through international
vaccine alliance GAVI.
Those who took Cov-
ishield will remain under
medical observation for the
next two months, said Maha-
rashtra Minister Dr Vishwajeet
Kadam. At least 25 candidates
will be given the vaccine in the
next seven days, according to
sources.
The Island
ANN
able to access remote learning. 
Age groups also had an
impact, with the youngest stu-
dents most likely to miss out on
remote learning during their
most critical years of learning
and development.
Addressing The Chal-
To respond, the governments
should prioritise the safe re-
opening of schools when they
begin easing lockdown restric-
tions, Unicef urged, along with
urgent investment to bridge the
digital divide.
“When reopening is not pos-
sible, [we] urge governments
to incorporate compensatory
learning for lost instructional
time into school continuity and
reopening plans,” added the UN
agency, explaining that school
opening policies and practices
to education, including remote
learning, especially for margin-
alised groups. 
Alongside, education sys-
tems must be adapted and built
to withstand future crises.
The Daily Star
ANN
 LOCKDOWN IMPRESSIONS
Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL PAGE 7

Facebook group for each Zone:

A Blessing in Disguise

A
part from the sole purpose
of disseminating informa-
tion to locals in specific
zones, Facebook group cre-
ated for the benefit of
zones, if used extensively, would foster
even greater community vitality.
The forum is helping local businesses at-
tract more customers by connecting to the
needs and preferences of the local resi-
dents. On the other hand, the customers
are also benefitted in terms of reduction
in travel cost incurred on shopping which
were mostly done from far-away shopping
malls prior to National lock-down. Simi-
larly, with instant messages on your mobile
phone informing you about the arrival of
goods, it increases your probability of get-
ting to buy fresh vegetables, dairy products
and any other essential goods. Which, in
traditional market set-up, is non-existent.
Overnight the offline store also started to
function as a mini-online-retailer, inform-
ing and directing shoppers about their
location, the goods they sale, and about
their new arrivals. The business picked up
as new consumers assembled in line to do
their purchase.
Prior to lock-down, residents were bother-
less about the names of shopkeepers as
well as the shops from where they use to
purchase their monthly ration. If not face to
face, the virtual interaction space created
by Facebook group is helping local resi-
dents know their neighbours too and the
fellow residents who live a few blocks apart.
While they meet, though faces are hidden
behind those masks but one can feel the
warmth of brotherhood and see the smile
greeting each-other through their eyes.
Looking at how quickly vital information is
shared and genuine concern been shown
to random fellow residents, and how ben-
eficial it’s turning out to be for everyone at
the moment, I foresee many more positive
future implications of this virtual space
based on this newly discovered sense of
brotherhood, trust, and awareness among
the local residents.
The local residents, through this platform,
would be now able to instantly organise
community services like cleaning, blood
donation, planting trees, donating essen-
tials to needy ones, take ownership of the
developmental activities and take good
care of the public properties they have
been enjoying in their own locality.
If this lively communication and connec-
tion continues after lockdown relaxation
with this existing yet heighten the sense
of concern shown beyond one’s four walls
and if this magic is true and is prevalent
in all zones across the country, then we
have succeeded to become stronger than
ever, collected and poise in our thoughts
and ever more united to fight our common
enemy.
Gayatri Bhandari (Mr)
Teacher, Druk School
Resident of Lower Changzamtok Zone

How to put on, use, take off and UNLOCKING THE LOCKDOWN
dispose of a mask Under the dynamic leadership of the King
Nation remained safe and healthy
Before putting on a mask, clean hands with Lockdown was a nice strategy and 
alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Opening was another wonderful tactics
Cornering the country to keep people safe
King was the hero of our country
Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure
Ideas of locking down was a wonderful strategy
there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
Nothing is impossible if we Plan Do Check and Act
Government did the right thing at the right time and
Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, True nation displayed by the people
clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or Health sector did a great job and
soap and water. Everybody was happy at this moment
Looking at the scenario of COVID-19 rise
Opening of lockdown was a worrisome
Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is Commonly, poor people were affected, however,
damp and do not re-use single-use masks.
King gave a kidu to a needy people
Dharma beings did a great ritual and our
To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not Obstacles removed greatly
touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a Wear a mask and follow the Covid-19 protocols
closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand Nothing is impossible
rub or soap and water.
Many thanks to everyone.  

Kinga Dorji
Samthang, Wangdue
DIVERSION
PAGE 8 Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | KUENSEL

Health
Capsule
Sudoku
How to play
Fill in the grid so
that every row, every
column, and every 3
X 3 box contains the
numbers 1 through 9.
Answer

Wizard

Idioms
Sour grapes
Describing behavior that is demeaning
or insulting when someone realizes he/
she can't win or complete a task
"Insulting her was just sour grapes
because she didn't choose him on her
team."
SCRABBLE
Speak of the devil Direction
An expression meaning that the person T1 E1 I1 A1 C3 P3 R1 Triple Rack 1 Make a 2 to 7 letters word from the
word score
about whom one was just speaking letters in each row. To total points of
arrives or makes their presence known your words use scoring directions to
right of each row. 7-letter words get
"Well, speak of the devil, we were just G2 S1 A1 I1 T1 R1 N1 Rack 2 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any
talking about you!" letter have no point value.

Rack 3 Solution
K5 A1 A1 E1 U1 S1 Q10 2nd letter
double
Rebus P3

S1
A1

T1
R1

A1
E1

R1
T1

I1
I1

N1
C3

G2
83

58

L1 C3 T1 U1 O1 N1 S1 Rack 4 S1 Q10 U1 E1 A1 K5 29

C3 O1 N1 S1 U1 L1 T1 59

E1 N1 R1 O1 B3 E1 16
B3 O1 O1 E1 N1 R1 E1 Double Rack 5
Noon tea

word score 245

Four rack total
Par score 155-165
Four rack total

Dagapela landlords offer
rental relief for a month
Yeshey Lhadon
It’s the end of the month and
tenants are wondering how
to pay their rent, especially
during lockdown.
Cheten Norbu runs a
small tailoring shop in Da-
gapela town. However, his
shop has remained closed
for the last two months be-
cause of the Covid-19 pan-
demic. He was going through
financial stress because he
still paid his rent and salary
to one of his employees.
A few days ago, Cheten
received a call from Dema
Lhamo, his landlady. He
learnt that he was exempted
from paying rent for the Au-
gust month. He said: “It was
a great relief. I didn’t know
what would happen if lock-
down extended. I don’t have
savings.”
Dema Lhamo said that
she understood her tenant’s
financial hardships during
such an unprecedented situ-
ation. “I’ll consider my ten-
ants’ situation if lockdown
extends,” she said.
The Gup of Tsandagang
gewog, Bal Bahadur Rana,
convinced 22 landlords of
Dagapela town to completely
waive the rent for a month.
He started by waiving off his
tenant’s rent to set an exam-
ple. “It wasn’t compulsory,
but I’m glad that house own-
ers were willing to ease peo-
ple’s hardships.”
He said: “It would be help-
ful for the people even if it’s
just for a month because the
businesses have stopped now.”
It is not the first time for
some landlords in Dagapela
Expatriate labourer arrested
for attempt to rape
Staff reporter
A non-Bhutanese labourer
in Trongsa was arrested and
placed under police custody
for attempting to rape a fe-
male De-Suup in Trongsa.
He works for one of the
contractors of Mangdechhu
Dagana town
waived the rent. Subash Bis-
was’ tenants didn’t have to
pay a single penny for three
months, for April, May, and
June.
Subash lives in Thimphu
and he too lost his business
during lockdown. He pays Nu
60,000 rent for his apartment
and shop in Thimphu.
He said: “I’m also finan-
cially down but, being a busi-
nessman, I understand the
challenges.”
Ishore Biswa is a hotel-
ier and one of Subash’s ten-
ants.  He would have paid Nu
35,000   monthly rent if his
landlord asked.
He said: “I have incurred a
Hydropower Authority.
Trongsa court closed due
to lockdown conducted the
hearing for remand order
virtually yesterday.
The judge granted 21
days’ remand order for the
accused.
The alleged incident oc-
Wednesday, September 2, 2020| KUENSEL
huge loss. The hotel business
is down after lockdown.”
Baharat Tamang runs a
snooker room. He too didn’t
have to pay rent for three
months. He said: “I’m very
grateful that my landlord
waived off 100 percent rent
for the fourth time by now.”
His landlord not only
waived the rent for snooker
room and apartment.
Landlords who are de-
pendent on rent are facing
challenges too. Dhan Maya
Rai agreed to waive the rent
for her tenant. She said, “We
also want to extend our help-
ing hand just like the rest of
the landlords in Dagapela.
curred when she was going
to the tailor and the accused
touched her. The lady was
attending her duty at the tri-
junction near Dzongkhalum.
The incident was re-
ported by one of the fellow
De-Suups posted at the site.
HOME
PAGE 9
gar, an owner of a four-storey
building in town waived the
rent for August.
“The return from my busi-
ness is zero for this month
and I was worried about the
rent payment. The waver
means a lot,” one of the ten-
ants said.
Landlord Choki Wangmo
said her family decided to
give the waiver considering
the current difficult situation.
“Although I have been
paying housing loan continu-
ously, this is truly a difficult
situation that the tenants,
who are mostly operating
businesses, are undergoing,”
shed said.
She added that she would
decide whether or not to col-
lect rent from the tenants in
the following months consid-
ering the gravity of the situ-
ation.
Except for some identified
grocers, who were allowed to
operate to cater to residents
during the lockdown, almost
Everyone is going through a all businesses and private
rough time.” sector employees were af-
Meanwhile, in Mon- fected in Mongar.
TOMORROW
Good Day r
UP
SPPG
IPVTF
r
UP
QFSGPSN
BOOVBM
PGGFSJOHT r
UP
IPJTU
-VOHEIBS
Bad Day A good day for rituals (laza):
r
UP
IBOE
BOE
UBLF
PWFS
PGGJDF those born in the sheep, snake, monkey
r
UP
MFBSO
BTUSPMPHZ and rooster years.
r
UP
BQQPJOU
UP
OFX
QPTU
Generally a good day (sogza):
r
UP
TIJGU
IPVTF
r
UP
TUBSU
OFX
CVTJOFTT
those born in the snake and horse years.
r
UP
FOUFS
JOUP
OFX
IPVTF A bad day (shedza):
r
UP
NBSSZ
BOE
DFMFCSBUF those born in the tiger and rabbit years.
Time of issue: 3:59 PM,
SUNRISE : 5:40 am | SUNSET : 6:20 pm 1 September 2020
Gasa Trongsa Bumthang Sarpang Phuentsholing
21
11
24
15
25
14
30
23
32
23
Thimphu Trashigang
27 27
15 17
Source: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology.
For any weather information: Call hotline 335578
 Bhutan Telecom is pleased to announce an increase in data volume for both its prepaid and postpaid
users with effect from September 01, 2020.
Stay indoors, stay informed, stay connected! Call 1600 or visit www.bt.bt for details.

Note: For the Nu. 999 package, there was an error with the revised quota. The corrected and revised data volume for Nu. 999 is 37, 570 MB. The same
was corrected on our system and we have compensated with the revised data quota for those who had recharged for Nu.999 on 1st September.
We deeply regret and apologize for the error.

Kuensel supplement Wednesday, September 02, 2020

 E A RN
E R &
RE F ED
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