KATHMANDU, JANUARY 20

The Election Commission has urged all those involved in voting and vote counting to follow health safety protocols in the National Assembly election scheduled for January 26.

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

Election related health safety protocols issued by the EC here on Thursday require them to enter the voting station and voting centre wearing masks after showing evidence of being administered full dose of vaccine against COVID-19 and to wash hands with soap and water as well as sanitise their hands mandatorily before entering the voting centres.

Thermal gun and two health workers with necessary health supplies will be present at the voting centres.

Arrangement of health desk should be made by the concerned district health office or district hospital under the coordination of the health ministry of the concerned province government.

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

Only those employees and security personnel who have taken full dose of vaccines will be mobilised at the voting centre, polling booth and vote counting centre.

Similarly, all the persons including employees, security personnel and volunteers mobilised at the polling centres and vote counting centres should mandatorily use face shield, gloves and masks, the EC stated.

Likewise, the voters are required to compulsorily use sanitiser after casting ballot at the polling booth while the polling officer should make arrangements for sanitising from time to time the voting materials like stamps, inkpads, among others, that are used by voters in the secret booth.

Assistant spokesperson of the Election Commission Komal Prasad Dhamala said 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 called for cooperation from all the sides to conduct the forthcoming National Assembly member election safely and systematically.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 21, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.