NA member election: Health safety protocols mandatory

KATHMANDU: JAN. 20 – The Election Commission has urged all involved in voting and vote counting to follow the health safety protocols in the National Assembly member election taking place on Jan 26.

All the stakeholders including voters, candidates, representatives of the parties, security personnel and volunteers have been asked to adopt health safety protocols determined by the government in order to make the election safe and systematic.

The election-related health safety protocols issued by the EC here today asked those who have got permission to enter the voting station and voting centre wearing masks after showing the evidence of administering full-dose of a vaccine against COVID-19 and to wash hands with soap and water as well as sanitize their hands mandatorily before entering the voting centres.

There would be an arrangement of thermal guns and two health workers with necessary health supplies at the voting centres. Arrangement of health desk should be made from the concerned District Health Office or District Hospital at the coordination of the Ministry looking after the health sector of the concerned province government.

Employees, security personnel, volunteers, observers, candidates, voters have to maintain social distancing at the voting centres.

Only employees and security personnel who have taken full dose vaccines will be mobilized at the voting centre, polling booth and vote-counting centre. Similarly, all the persons including the employees, security personnel and volunteers mobilized at polling centres and vote counting centres should mandatorily put on face shields, gloves and masks, the EC stated.

Likewise, the voters are required to compulsorily use sanitizer after casting a ballot at the polling booth while the polling officer should make arrangements for sanitizing from time to time the voting materials like the stamp, inkpad and others that are used by the voters in the secret booth.

Assistant spokesperson of the Election Commission Komal Prasad Dhamala said that the polling officer concerned can make additional health safety arrangements as per the situation of the polling centre and booth on the basis of the determined health safety protocols.

The Election Commission has urged cooperation from all sides for conducting the forthcoming National Assembly member election safe and systematic.