South Koreans head to polls despite COVID-19 pandemic
15 April, 2020
Temperature checks on voters, separate booths for those with fever, special polling stations for the quarantined: South Koreans headed to the polls on Wednesday (Apr 15) with an enormous turnout expected despite the coronavirus threat.
South Korea is that the first country with a serious virus outbreak to carry a national election since the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic began, and a posh web of safety measures was spun round the ballot, also because the campaigning that preceded it.
The parliamentary poll vote began at 6am, with 43.9 million voters eligible to cast their ballots.
All citizens must wear protective masks and undergo temperature checks at the polling stations. Those found to possess fever will cast their ballots in separate booths to be disinfected after each use.
Voters have also been asked to wear plastic gloves after cleaning their hands with sanitiser at polling stations, and to stay a minimum of one metre apart.
"We are now holding an election at a really difficult time amid social distancing campaigns and a contraction of economic activity," committee chairman Kwon Soon-il said Tuesday.
"Please attend the polling stations tomorrow and show that you simply are the owners of this country."
"It is completed alright ," said 80-year-old voter Kim Gwang-woo. "Because of the coronavirus, people are keeping their distance and everybody is wearing gloves."
South Korea was among the primary countries to be hit by the virus outside China, where the coronavirus first emerged.
For a time, South Korea had the world's second-largest outbreak, before it had been largely brought in check through a widespread testing and a contact-tracing drive.
Those self-quarantining reception are going to be allowed bent choose a 100-minute window round the polls' 6pm close, as long as they are doing not show virus symptoms.
Special polling stations were found out at eight central quarantine facilities at the weekend to enable residents to vote.
But anyone who is staying reception and has developed symptoms is effectively disenfranchised.
Campaigning has also been suffering from the outbreak: rather than the normal handshakes and distributing of name cards, candidates are keeping their distance from citizens, bowing and offering an occasional fist bump.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com