EC issues guidelines for May 2, candidates need full COVID-19 vaccination or negative test report
Candidates will not be allowed inside vote counting centres on Sunday without a negative Covid report or two vaccine doses, the Election Commission said today.
FollowThe Election Commission on Wednesday issued the Covid-19 protocol for May 2, when the counting of votes would be held for the recently contested assembly elections.
Candidates will not be allowed inside vote counting centres on Sunday without a negative Covid report or two vaccine doses, the Election Commission said today.
Earlier, the election body had banned any victory celebrations over the results of recent elections held in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry amid a massive Covid surge in the country.
All forms of public gathering outside the counting centres has also been barred by the polling body. The measure is aimed at preventing the violation of social distancing norms.
The counting centres and electronic voting machine boxes would be disinfected before the EC officials begin the counting on May 2.
In the order, the poll panel also said the district election officer will be the nodal officer at the counting centres and will ensure adherence to the coronavirus-related norms.
“The counting hall should be sufficiently big to maintain social distancing, and should have proper ventilation, windows, exhaust fan etc. as per available protocol of [respective] SDMA [State Disaster Management Authority],” the poll panel said.
It said that the halls should be disinfected before, during and after the counting and also asked to ensure that electronic voting machines or voter-verified paper audit trail used to cast ballots are sanitised. “No public gathering outside the counting venue shall be allowed during the process of counting,” the order said.
Masks, sanitisers, face shields and gloves will be given to counting officials and security personnel. “There shall be sufficient number of PPE [personal protective equipment] kit for counting agents/candidates,” the order said. “The counting agents sitting arrangement shall be made in such a way that between 2 counting agents 1 agent shall be in PPE.”
The counting of votes would be held in the four states of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, along with the union territory of Puducherry. The polling has concluded in all states except Bengal, where the final phase of elections would be held on April 29.
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