First coronavirus case confirmed in Bhutan

The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the prime minister said Friday (March 6).

The tiny, land-locked country, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness has emerged as a popular tourist destination in recent years.

But the government immediately shut borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of a disease that has wreaked havoc in more developed countries around the world.

The 76-year-old man arrived in Bhutan from India on March 2, and was admitted to hospital on March 5 with a fever, where he tested positive for Covid-19, the office of Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in a Facebook post.
The post added that there would be ‘two weeks’ restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect.

Schools in three areas - including the capital Thimphu - will be closed for two weeks from Friday.

The patient, who has not been named, left Washington on Feb 10, touring India from Feb 21 to March 1.

 

Dhaka/Mukul