 |
| An election authority in protective clothing receives a self-quarantined voter at a polling station in Seoul, Wednesday. Voters ordered to isolate themselves to prevent COVID-19 infections were allowed to vote after regular voting ended at 6 p.m. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
Eligible voters who have been in self-quarantine to contain the spread of COVID-19 were also allowed to cast ballots for the National Assembly elections, Wednesday, in a decision made by the election watchdog to guarantee their right to vote.
The National Election Commission (NEC) permitted people, who have been ordered to isolate themselves between April 1 and 14 and shown no symptoms of the virus, to vote in the general elections after regular voting ended at 6 p.m.
According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, 13,642, or 22.8 percent, out of the total of 59,918 eligible voters under self-quarantine have applied to vote in the election.
The self-isolators are people who came into contact with infected patients, and those who returned home from overseas amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
By region, applicants in Seoul accounted for the largest number, with 4,518 self-isolators expressing their intention to vote. In Gyeonggi Province, 4,286 people applied to cast ballots.
The self-isolators who applied to vote in advance were allowed to go outside from 5:20 p.m. to 7 p.m., if it took less than 30 minutes for them to get to polling stations from where they were self-isolating.
They were asked to follow strict quarantine guidelines such as wearing face masks and reporting their every movement to health authorities through a smartphone application.
They were asked to go to the polling stations on foot or use their own vehicles, and were not allowed to use public transportation.
They were advised not to talk to or interact with other people outdoors.
After arriving at the polling stations, they were asked to wait at designated places and maintain more than 2-meter distance from each other before being guided to makeshift polling booths after 6 p.m.
They were asked to return to their homes immediately after voting.
The ministry said it will investigate the movements of self-isolators who had applied to vote but did not show up, as well as those who did not report their movements properly to the authorities. The government will impose severe punishment if they are found to have gone anywhere else without permission, it said.
"Those who do not follow voting guidelines will be regarded as self-isolation violators, and can be jailed for up to one year and fined up to 10 million won ($8,200)," a ministry official said.
The government allowed infected patients to vote earlier by mail.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said, "I feel pride about the nation holding the nationwide election as planned and guaranteeing the rights of self-isolators and even patients to vote."
