New Delhi: In view of spiralling Coronavirus cases, the Election Commission (EC) has released new guidelines for the counting of votes to be held on Sunday, May 2. According to new guidelines, candidates or their agents will not be allowed inside counting halls without a negative RT-PCR or RAT report or without having both COVID-19 vaccines. EC has also barred public gatherings outside venues during the counting process. However, it has allowed candidates to name a fresh agent if the first one tests positive for COVID-19.
"Candidates or agents will have to produce negative RT-PCR report or RAT report or vaccination reports within 48 hours of the start of counting," the guidelines read.
EC has directed the district election officers to organise Covid tests for candidates and their counting agents.
As per the latest guidelines, there should be a sufficient number of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for counting agents and candidates.
"The counting agents' sitting arrangement shall be made in such a way that between 2 counting agents 1 agent shall be in PPE," the guideline read.
The counting hall, according to the EC, should be sufficiently big to maintain social distancing, and should have proper ventilation, windows, exhaust fan as per the available protocol of the State Disaster Management Authority. The counting centres should be disinfected before, during and after the counting, while sealed outer boxes of electronic voting machines and paper trail machines should also be disinfected. The number of counting tables to be allowed in a counting hall should be as per the size of the hall and keeping in view safety norms prescribed for Covid- 19, the Commission said.
The counting of votes of a constituency may be considered at 3-4 halls by appointing additional assistant returning officers, the EC said. The staff and security personnel deployed for counting will be provided with face masks and shields, sanitisers and gloves, it said. Counting of votes for Assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, besides various other assemblies and Lok Sabha bypolls begins at 8 am on May 2.