August 1, 2020 - The State Election Commission (SEC) has sent draft recommendations for the safe conduct of elections to the National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases (NKT). There is still no official information on the NCB's position on this draft.
The President of the State Election Commission, Aleksa Ivanović, said on that occasion that the Commission is waiting for the NKT's opinion before they start drafting the final epidemiological instruction for the safe conduct of the elections.
The agreement for the SEC to provide the proposal for epidemiological instructions was reached at the Collegium of the President of the Assembly. The meeting, attended by representatives of the NCT, the SEC, and NGOs was held on July 15.
The draft version was prepared based on the joint work of the working group for the preparation of elections in the conditions of the coronavirus epidemic and comparative experiences from recent elections in other countries.
The rules provide for mandatory hand disinfection before entering the polling station and during the voting process. If a voter refuses to disinfect his/her hands, he/she cannot be denied the right to vote, but after the voting of that person, thorough cleaning of the space he/she used must be performed. A mask should be worn at the polling station, except when establishing identity, and also one's own ballpoint pen should be used to vote and sign the list.
Voters will be required to take their body temperature at home before leaving for the polling station. If it is higher than 37.2 ° C, they should contact their chosen doctor by phone. Those with symptoms of the disease, who have not been given a self-isolation measure or quarantine, can vote. But in addition to the mask, they must also wear gloves. Voters in self-isolation will vote under special conditions, exclusively in front of the apartment or front door of the house.
Voting by covid-positive patients in hospital presents an unacceptable epidemiological risk, due to the fact that these are "red zones" in which the stay of untrained and improperly trained staff is a high risk. Voters with coronavirus infection will vote with the help of another person who, upon their authorization, will fill out the ballot.
Members of polling stations will undergo specialized, epidemiological training during regular training on their duties. The training will be organized using online platforms or providing appointments on television. The training cannot be attended by more than 50 people, who are all obliged to wear masks during the training and adhere to general prevention measures.
Source: State Election Commision dik.co.me
