All Assembly election officials to get precautionary Covid doses

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra announces the schedule for General Elections to Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, at a press conference at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi, Saturday. Credit: PTI Photo

All election officials involved in the polls to five states will be given precautionary doses of Covid-19 vaccines even as the number of polling stations has been increased to reduce crowds, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said.

He said it has been directed that all central/state government officials deployed for election duty shall be double vaccinated.

On the recommendation of the Election Commission, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued orders on February 8, 2021, that all election officials and employees will be treated as frontline workers.

Also read: Assembly Election 2022: 5 states to go to vote from February 10 to March 7; counting on March 10

All Polling Personnel/Security Personnel/Counting Staff shall be doubly vaccinated before deploying/engaging in election-related activities. All eligible officials will be given a precautionary booster dose accordingly, Chandra said.

Keeping Covid-19 in mind, the number of polling stations has been increased by 16 per cent. Chandra said there will be 2,15,368 polling stations this time, 30,330 or 16 per cent more compared to the 2017 polls, as the number of voters in polling stations has been brought down to 1,250 from 1,500, he said.

Also read: EC bans political rallies, roadshows, processions till January 15

Uttar Pradesh has the highest increase of 18.49 per cent -- 1,47,148 to 1,74,351. Goa has a 4.87 per cent rise in polling stations from 1,642 to 1,722 while in Manipur it is 5.91 per cent -- 2,794 to 2,959.

In Punjab, the number of polling stations rose from 22,600 to 24,689, registering a 9.24 per cent increase while in Uttarakhand, the numbers rose from 10,854 to 11,647 or a 7.31 per cent rise.

There will be mandatory sanitisation of polling stations preferably, a day before the poll, as well as thermal checking of voters at the entry point of polling station either by polling staff or para-medical staff or ASHA worker.

"If the temperature is above the set norms of MoHF&W at first reading, then it will be checked twice and if it remains, then the elector shall be provided with a token and will be asked to come for voting at the last hour of polling,” the Election Commission said.

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