Confirmed and Quarantined Voters' Outing Time for Voting Changed to 5:50 PM

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on the 7th that it will allow COVID-19 confirmed patients and quarantined individuals who wish to vote on the presidential election day (the 9th) to go out starting from 5:50 PM.

Initially, during the noon briefing on the same day, the KDCA announced that the permitted time for going out would be "after 5:30 PM," but later in the evening, it issued a press release delaying the time by 20 minutes to "after 5:50 PM." The KDCA explained, "The National Election Commission requested the time change to separate the movement paths of general voters and confirmed patients and to minimize waiting times for quarantined individuals." However, transportation-vulnerable people living in rural and fishing villages can go out from 5:30 PM as per the existing policy.

Earlier, the government temporarily allowed COVID-19 confirmed patients and quarantined individuals to go out for the 20th presidential election in accordance with the Public Official Election Act and the Enforcement Decree of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act (Infectious Disease Prevention Act). Accordingly, the head of the local health center will send out text messages containing "precautions when going out" and other guidance twice on the election day, at 12 PM and 4 PM, to those permitted to go out. Those who receive the guidance text message must present it to the election staff at the polling station before voting.

On election day, newly confirmed or quarantined individuals will receive an outing guidance text message along with their confirmation or quarantine notification. However, even if they do not receive the outing guidance text, they can vote by presenting confirmation messages received from medical institutions. General voters who have a fever or respiratory symptoms on the day must inform the election staff and follow the instructions to proceed with voting.

The National Election Commission repeatedly apologized and announced supplementary measures after issues arose during early voting, where confirmed and quarantined voters’ ballots were placed in a simple ballot box and transferred, causing management problems. Accordingly, confirmed and quarantined voters will use the same voting booths as general voters on the main election day, rather than separate temporary booths, and will directly insert their ballots into the ballot boxes used by general voters. Additionally, to separate the movement paths of confirmed/quarantined voters and general voters, if general voters have not finished voting by 6 PM, confirmed/quarantined voters will wait in a separate area outside the polling station and vote only after all general voters have left.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.