The Bhutan authorities have announced a partial lockdown in Paro, a valley town in the west of Thimphu after the detection of 3 new Covid19 positive cases.

The new Covid19 cases were confirmed on Tuesday morning from Sharpa and Khangkhu, says a report.

While two cases have been detected in Sharpa, another case has been reported from Khangkhu.

Also read: Bhutan imposes complete lockdown in Thimphu to curb COVID-19 spread

The authorities have identified the areas falling in between Baangdey fuel station and Uesuna as high risk zone and the lockdown restrictions have been imposed strictly.

It has been reported that a 66-year-old woman and her granddaughter of Sharpa have tested positive for Covid19.

Their primary contact, a female employee of Shaba Higher Secondary School, has been put under quarantine.

She tested negative during the Rapid Antigen test on Tuesday and her RT-PCR test result is awaited.

The female staff of the school travelled to Thimphu on December 12 and returned the next day.

The report quoted officials in the district as saying that they are tracing and testing the contacts of the cases.

The positive patients have been moved to isolation.

According to reports, escort service from Phuentshogling to Thimphu has also been suspended until further notice following detection of new cases in the area.

Sources said out of the 20 districts (Dzongkha) in Bhutan, a total of 32 new Covid19 cases have been reported from several places.

Thimphu has already been under lockdown after detection of new Covid19 cases.

The authorities have also imposed lockdown restrictions in Phuentshogling and Punakha after detection of new positive cases.

According to the National COVID-19 Task Force, the Regional and the Dzongkhag Task Force should facilitate the inbound vehicles and people to Thimphu for emergency travel and those carrying essential food items, perishable good, LPG and POL among others.

People, who were moving out of Phuentshogling, were escorted till Thimphu for a week-long quarantine.

But from Tuesday, the escort services will remain suspended until further notice, following the cluster outbreak of Covid19 in Thimphu.

Reportedly, around 3,500 people were escorted from Phuentshogling in the last three months.

In the wake of more positive Covid19 cases surfacing from Thimphu and beyond, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering will address the nation to elaborate on the way forward at 7 pm on Tuesday (December 22, 2020).

In order to prevent spread and assess situations, the authorities have put restrictions on inter-district travel of both vehicles and people with immediate effect.

However, essential movements and exit of export materials will be facilitated with close monitoring by Royal Bhutan Police.

In view of the Covid19 situation, the Indian Embassy at Thimpu has halted online yoga and music classes hosted by it on Facebook LIVE for a few days.

“We would like to inform all Bhutanese friends that the online yoga and music classes hosted by the Embassy of India on Facebook LIVE stand suspended for a few days. This is with due deference to the current lockdown in Thimphu,” the Indian Embassy to Bhutan at Thimpu tweeted.