SEC set to keep 3 ambulances to ferry Covid patients to poll booth

Kolkata: The state Election Commission (SEC) is making special arrangements for the Covid-affected persons so that they can cast their votes without any hassle during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections scheduled on December 19. The SEC will have three ambulances in each of the 16 boroughs for ferrying Covid-affected persons to their respective polling booths during the last hour of the polls and take them back home after voting.

"The Commission will keep track of such Covid-affected persons 17 days prior to the election day and will keep the ambulances ready in each of the borough on the polling day for carrying such persons to the polling venue. As per health department protocols, a Covid-affected person has to be in quarantine for a period of 17 days," a senior official of SEC said.

The daily data of persons within Kolkata undergoing RT PCR test and testing positive is available with the state Health department as well as the Health department of KMC so it will not be too difficult for the Commission to identify Covid-affected persons.

The Commission held a meeting with senior officials of state Health department, KMC, MSME and representative from the office of District Municipal Election Officer, South 24-Parganas where health related protocols need to be followed during elections were discussed in length.

The Commission is also working on a plan to inoculate the unvaccinated voters 3 to 4 days prior to the election date by holding camps at its sector offices. There will be arrangements of thermal checking at each polling booth and if anybody is found to have fever he/she will be not allowed to vote at that time but later in the last hour availing the arrangements of voting for Covid-affected voters. Gloves for the voting hand and sanitiser will be made available at each polling booth.

The final meeting regarding Covid protocols will be held on Tuesday.