Thread

Bhutan is regarded as a COVID success story & so I humbly offer some broad insights based on our experience -only to help.

1. Give the virus a lot of respect & never let your guard down.

2. Good Leadership is absolutely essential but so is an all of society approach.

3. Make your COVID plans early & have every one on board from the capital to village.

4. Then drill, drill and drill with multiple scenarios and especially with the worst case ones.

5. Do stock taking of medical infra and put things in place. Stock up on medical equipment.

6. Then communicate and communicate with a carpet bombing of regular advocacy reaching all sections and regular fact based press conferences held by Cabinet members.

7. Talk is not good enough & so your senior leaders should lead by example through COVID appropriate behavior.

8. A part time approach will not work in fighting COVID. The leadership, institutions & society all have to constantly keep their eye on the ball.
It has to be the main agenda for everybody.

9. Your entire governance, economy, society etc should keep COVID at the center.

10. Restrictions & lockdowns are very important but they will only work if you provide massive social & financial nets so that people do not move out.

Monthly or weekly deposits etc from the state. So spend.

Also ensure people can get essentials in their area and services.

11. Shut your international borders and only allow movement of essential goods & trading commodities through it or people with compulsory state paid quarantine.

12. Discourage unnecessary interstate travel.

An absolute no no on any gatherings be it political or religious.

13. All of the above is fine but you still need a national COVID goal that puts the welfare of people at its center.
In Bhutan the goal was not losing a single life to the pandemic.
We aimed high & lost only 1 so far.

14. Very impt to get an army of volunteers to come forward.

15. Vaccination is very impt & Bhutan set a world record in 1st dose vaccination covering almost 95% of eligible population in 2 weeks plus but this was only recently.

Vaccination is just one bullet in fight against COVID as social distancing, masks, ventilating etc are impt.

16. Even with all the preparations cases will get through and you will have outbreaks.

In that case you have to control it early with smart lockdowns and mass testing.

Don’t wait for cases to escalate as an early lockdown is far more effective than a late one.

17. After lockdowns and numbers come under control do not waste time celebrating and do not declare victory. The virus will come back only stronger.

Do a forensic study of what went wrong and further tighten your systems and measures for the next inevitable wave.

18. The economy is important and so allow economic activities but under strict protocols.

The logic is if you do not beat COVID you will not have much of an economy left.

More importantly support affected economic sectors through massive fiscal & monetary policy incentives.

19. In your COVID plans and protocols ensure it is an inclusive one that takes into account disabled, old and the ill.

Home delivery of medicines, essentials & medical services should be in place.

Also put in place very strict protocols to protect your medical fraternity.

20. Important for all to come on the same team but institutions must do their jobs.

The press should not try and paint an overtly positive image as this will make people complacent.

Report the hard facts without creating unnecessary panic and investigate lapses and failures.

21. People will inevitably say Bhutan has a small population and so it is easy.

Not really.

Remember we also have small resources and capacity and a robust but still very basic medical system.

We are also much more vulnerable than larger countries as we lack depth/size.

22. To sum it up & at heart of it all are 2 essential things.

One is good leadership that leads from the front & prepares the country without letting the foot of the pedal.

His Majesty’s role has been the keystone of all efforts.

Secondly everybody has to cooperate & pitch in.