Lockdown in Bhutan, blow to border trade Only trucks carrying essential items were allowed to enter Bhutan Commercial activities in Jaigaon, the town in Alipurduar district that sits on the Bhutan border, came to a grinding halt on Wednesday as a countrywide lockdown was announced in the Himalayan country for seven days following a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases. “Trade in Jaigaon and in Alipurduar district as a whole has suffered a major setback because of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown. After the initial lockdown had been eased on either side of the border, things started becoming normal in the past couple of months. The second lockdown from today (Wednesday) would only add to our distress,” said Ramashankar Gupta, the general secretary of the Jaigaon Merchants’ Association.