By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 28: The Health Department of CTA on Thursday urged Tibetans to exercise caution and adhere to appropriate measures in the upcoming month ahead of Tibetan Losar which falls on 3rd March.
Deputy Secretary Tenzin Kunsang during the briefing said that quarantining measures must not be ignored by the public, “Especially those coming back from other states and countries need to adhere to strict quarantine or self-isolation procedure before entering the settlements. People are also required to self isolate until the Covid test results arrive.” Moreover, the committee urged unvaccinated individuals to get jabbed, noting the ‘reduced risk’ of severity in illness for a fully vaccinated person.
“I want to stress that every individual needs to be responsible right now, for example, if one needs to go to Bylakuppe from Dharamshala, he or she has to abide by the quarantine norms set by the settlement,” Secretary Palden Dhondup told Phayul earlier this month on how cooperation would be key to confront the third wave ahead of Losar (Tibetan New Year).
According to the committee’s report, 737 Tibetans are in quarantine, out of which 571 are home quarantine and 166 people are currently in institutional quarantine facilities. Most of the cases have mild symptoms, however, one death has been reported due to the virus this week. As of now, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India and Nepal reached 8,377, among which 7,677 cases have recovered. There are 537 active reported cases and the death toll stands at 163 since the pandemic began.
As for the vaccination drive, 49,460 Tibetans above 18 years in India have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. In the recently launched vaccination drive for children aged 15-18, a total of 1,222 children have received their first jabs. Moreover, 2,404 elderly Tibetans above 60 and frontline workers have received the booster dose in India. As for Nepal, 6,990 Tibetans have received both jabs while 85 children aged 15-18 received their first jab. For the public in India, the government has begun registration for the third booster shot, which requires at least 9 months gap from the second dose to be eligible for the jab.
