It is learnt that a fresh set of SOPs for the Zilla Panchayat elections has been issued with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic mandating virus positive voters to adorn PPE kits while casting their votes.
There are reportedly as many as 1,277 active Covid-19 patients recorded in the state who are mostly recuperating in home isolation. It is pertinent to note that states are not required to affix posters outside the residences of those who test positive for Covid-19 and such an exercise can be done away with.
This is probably being done in order not to make known the positive status of the patient. If a particular time is allotted, at the end of the voting for the Zilla Panchayat elections, for the Covid-19 patients to cast their votes and if they have to wear a PPE suit then their positive status will be known to other people.
It would be desirable to have provisions for Covid-19 positive patients to cast their votes on line. Alternatively arrangements could be made to have postal ballots for those in home isolation because of their positive status as far as the virus is concerned.
It does not seem proper to have these patients travel to the polling booth to cast their votes for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
