Authorities in Bhutan swang into action as people complained of overpricing of essential goods by shopkeepers due to lockdown, Kuensel reported. Several shops were penalized, and the licenses of others were recommended for cancellation. 

On 20 December last year, the government had imposed a second nationwide lockdown due to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases. Only licensed shops are allowed to open for essential goods. Since the last weeks, people were complaining of overpricing of goods, especially in Paro and Thimphu districts. 

As many as 33 shops were fined by the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) for violating the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act. The businesses were penalized for overpricing, selling expired and underweight goods. 

Jigme Dorgi, the program officer at OCP, said the government had informed various business entities not to take advantage of lockdown through various communication channels.

Most of the cases of infections were reported from Thimphu and Paro. Eight districts have reported community transmission of the virus since 20 December. The remaining 12 districts haven’t reported any cases so far. The government is also conducting random testing in the districts that haven’t reported any cases so far.