COVID-19 patients and persons with symptoms of COVID-19 in Kerala can vote in the last hour of polling on Tuesday for the Assembly Election. They will need to observe all the protocol during voting. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed special arrangements for people with COVID-19 to vote between 6 pm and 7 pm on Tuesday.
COVID-19 patients and polling officials are expected to wear Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) kits during this hour. Trained staff will be on election duty to handle the situation on the ground.
With Kerala going to vote on April 6, the Health Department has issued a number of instructions for voters to observe while going to polling stations.
-- Masks covering nose and mouth are to be worn all the time
-- Children should not be taken along
-- Bring a pen to sign on the register
-- Maintain a distance of six feet while talking to anyone and avoid pulling down the mask on meeting acquaintances
-- Six feet distance should also be maintained in the queues for voting
-- No shake hands or touching
-- Everyone will be subjected to thermal scanning. If an abnormal temperature is recorded, the person will be checked again. If the temperature is still high, the person will have to cast their vote in the last hour of polling, reserved for people with COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms
-- Those with symptoms such as fever, coughing or sneezing can also vote only in the last hour
-- People with other serious illnesses can vote in less crowded hours
-- Voters should sanitise their hands before entering a polling booth and after exiting it
-- The windows and doors of a polling booth should be left open
-- Polling officials, agents and voters should all maintain proper distance since chances of transmission are higher in closed rooms