General Elections begin in S. Korea amid COVID-19 outbreak
- 4 years ago
제21대 국회의원선거 투표 시작…'코로나19 전파 가능성 차단한다'
Voting for South Korea's twenty-first general election began six hours ago... and we have about the same amount to go.
Due to concerns over COVID-19,...election authorities have installed mandatory quarantine measures at polling stations nationwide to prevent the chance of further infections.
For more on this, we have our Kan Hyeong-woo standing by at a polling station in central Seoul.
Hyeong-woo, fill us in.
Ji-yoon, South Korean voters began casting their ballots at 6 AM this morning.
Since the coronavirus outbreak is still lingering in the country,... the National Election Commission has prepared a number of preventive measures against the possible spread of COVID-19.
Along with bringing an identification card,...voters must wear a protective face mask when entering the polling station.
Once voters arrive, they get their temperatures taken.
If they don't have a fever or a cough, they have to disinfect their hands with hand sanitizer and put on disposable rubber gloves -- both of which are provided by the polling station they visit.
Voters are also required to stand at least one meter apart from each other at all times.
Here's how some of the voters feel about this election.
"It's my first time voting like this. But I feel clean. I think a lot of people like it this way and I hope they continue to doing it like this."
"I think it's a good idea to carry on with the election. It looks like everything is going well as people are wearing masks, gloves and keeping the right distance from each other."
Anyone showing respiratory symptoms or a temperature higher than 37-point-5 degrees Celsius will be escorted to a separate area to vote.
The polling stations will be open until 6 PM, Korea time.
And what about those in self-quarantine?
The National Election Commission has made it possible for them to cast their ballots.
How's that going to work?
That's right, Ji-yoon. The election authorities have allowed people in self-quarantine to vote.
There are almost 60-thousand eligible voters in self-isolation.
According to Ministry of the Interior and Safety,... around 23 percent of the voters in self-quarantine -- some 13-thousand people -- have applied to cast their ballots.
Here are the rules for the voters under self-quarantine.
The quarantine will be temporarily lifted from 5:20 PM to 7 PM.
Only then can those in self-quarantine head straight to polling stations on foot or in their own cars.
Their voting period is from 6 to 7 PM after the other voters are finished.
Most of those under quarantine will be accompanied by government officials.
But those who aren't,...will be tracked through a mobile app.
And of course, they must wear face masks.
Given that the self-quarantined voters will cast their ballots after 6 PM,...the exit poll will be released at 6:15 PM.
That's all I have at this hour. Back to you. Ji-yoon.
Voting for South Korea's twenty-first general election began six hours ago... and we have about the same amount to go.
Due to concerns over COVID-19,...election authorities have installed mandatory quarantine measures at polling stations nationwide to prevent the chance of further infections.
For more on this, we have our Kan Hyeong-woo standing by at a polling station in central Seoul.
Hyeong-woo, fill us in.
Ji-yoon, South Korean voters began casting their ballots at 6 AM this morning.
Since the coronavirus outbreak is still lingering in the country,... the National Election Commission has prepared a number of preventive measures against the possible spread of COVID-19.
Along with bringing an identification card,...voters must wear a protective face mask when entering the polling station.
Once voters arrive, they get their temperatures taken.
If they don't have a fever or a cough, they have to disinfect their hands with hand sanitizer and put on disposable rubber gloves -- both of which are provided by the polling station they visit.
Voters are also required to stand at least one meter apart from each other at all times.
Here's how some of the voters feel about this election.
"It's my first time voting like this. But I feel clean. I think a lot of people like it this way and I hope they continue to doing it like this."
"I think it's a good idea to carry on with the election. It looks like everything is going well as people are wearing masks, gloves and keeping the right distance from each other."
Anyone showing respiratory symptoms or a temperature higher than 37-point-5 degrees Celsius will be escorted to a separate area to vote.
The polling stations will be open until 6 PM, Korea time.
And what about those in self-quarantine?
The National Election Commission has made it possible for them to cast their ballots.
How's that going to work?
That's right, Ji-yoon. The election authorities have allowed people in self-quarantine to vote.
There are almost 60-thousand eligible voters in self-isolation.
According to Ministry of the Interior and Safety,... around 23 percent of the voters in self-quarantine -- some 13-thousand people -- have applied to cast their ballots.
Here are the rules for the voters under self-quarantine.
The quarantine will be temporarily lifted from 5:20 PM to 7 PM.
Only then can those in self-quarantine head straight to polling stations on foot or in their own cars.
Their voting period is from 6 to 7 PM after the other voters are finished.
Most of those under quarantine will be accompanied by government officials.
But those who aren't,...will be tracked through a mobile app.
And of course, they must wear face masks.
Given that the self-quarantined voters will cast their ballots after 6 PM,...the exit poll will be released at 6:15 PM.
That's all I have at this hour. Back to you. Ji-yoon.