COVID-19 changes election scenery in S. Korea's polling stations
- 4 years ago
코로나19가 바꾼 정치 1번지 종로 투표 현장...자가격리자들도 '한 표' 행사
The 2020 General Election got underway with strict quarantine measures in place,... due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let's turn our focus now to how those in self-quarantine came to vote,... and how the outbreak affected one of South Korea's fiercest political battlefields: Seoul's central Jongno-gu District.
Here's our Kim Jae-hee.
Voters wearing face masks, getting their temperatures checked,... and disinfecting their hands.
After putting on plastic gloves,... they patiently wait in line,... standing at least one meter apart from one another.
This is how South Korea's 2020 General Election was carried out on April 15th,... due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
"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 do 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."
Those in self-quarantine were not forgotten.
The government came up with a separate voting timeline for them,... 6 to 7 PM,... after all other voters were finished.
For this, the quarantine restrictions were temporarily lifted from 5:20 PM to 7 PM.
But, only those who had applied prior to the election were allowed to vote.
According to South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety,... around 23 percent of all those in self-quarantine --over 13-thousand people-- had applied.
Self-quarantined voters, like those at this polling station in Seoul's central Jongno-gu District -- deemed crucial in terms of its political importance-- were accompanied by health officials in full protective gear.
They were checked for any signs of the virus,... such as cough or fever prior to them casting their vote.
They also used a separate voting booth set up outside the building, as a precautionary measure,... and the booths were disinfected thoroughly after use.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.
The 2020 General Election got underway with strict quarantine measures in place,... due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let's turn our focus now to how those in self-quarantine came to vote,... and how the outbreak affected one of South Korea's fiercest political battlefields: Seoul's central Jongno-gu District.
Here's our Kim Jae-hee.
Voters wearing face masks, getting their temperatures checked,... and disinfecting their hands.
After putting on plastic gloves,... they patiently wait in line,... standing at least one meter apart from one another.
This is how South Korea's 2020 General Election was carried out on April 15th,... due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
"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 do 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."
Those in self-quarantine were not forgotten.
The government came up with a separate voting timeline for them,... 6 to 7 PM,... after all other voters were finished.
For this, the quarantine restrictions were temporarily lifted from 5:20 PM to 7 PM.
But, only those who had applied prior to the election were allowed to vote.
According to South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety,... around 23 percent of all those in self-quarantine --over 13-thousand people-- had applied.
Self-quarantined voters, like those at this polling station in Seoul's central Jongno-gu District -- deemed crucial in terms of its political importance-- were accompanied by health officials in full protective gear.
They were checked for any signs of the virus,... such as cough or fever prior to them casting their vote.
They also used a separate voting booth set up outside the building, as a precautionary measure,... and the booths were disinfected thoroughly after use.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.