THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the State Election Commission has made arrangements for Covid patients and people placed in quarantine to cast votes in the local body polls, there were instances of Covid patients not being able to exercise their franchise, thanks to erroneous system. John Mathew (name changed) told TNIE that he was tested positive for the virus on November 30 and informed the local health authorities about his decision to cast vote. Though he had handed over the documents to local health officials, he was not given the postal ballot facility despite repeated requests.
In another instance, a family in quarantine in Kottayam had cast votes along with ordinary voters after they were not given postal ballots. In another case, when a patient in Ernakulam who tested positive for the virus on Wednesday reached out to the State Election Commission Office, he was told that he would be allowed to vote only if he produces a medical certificate issued by a gazetted officer.
Salu Krishnan, junior health inspector, Kattoor, in Thrissur said among the patients for whom all paper works were completed and submitted, one person was not issued postal ballot under my jurisdiction. I don’t know what went wrong with the system,” she said.
A good number of patients for whom the details were submitted in the online platform were also not issued postal ballots, said a government doctor. When TNIE contacted the State Election Commission, the SEC spokesperson said the Commission has received calls from Covid patients citing a lot of issues. “We have to first review how many people were included in the certified list and how many could vote, before making a comment.”
The SEC has announced that it will provide a postal ballot facility for Covid patients and eligible voters placed under quarantine in local body elections. Further, voters who test positive or go into quarantine after 3 pm on the eve of the poll day, can visit the polling booths with adequate safety measures directly to cast vote. An initial list prepared by the SEC in the first phase of election contained 24,621 special voters, including 8,568 active Covid patients and 16,053 in quarantine.
37 health Workers among infected
T’Puram: The Covid test positivity rate in the state on Thursday went down to 8.47 per cent from the 9.26 per cent reported on Wednesday. The state also reported fewer number of fresh cases compared to the recoveries on the day, with 4,470 new cases and 4,847 recoveries. The state also confirmed 26 more deaths which pushed up the total tally to 2,533. The number of samples, which were tested on the day, stood at 52,769. Until now, 68, 08, 399 samples have been analysed. Among the new cases reported, those contracted through local contact accounted for 3,858 infections. In 498 cases, sources of infection remained unknown, with 77 were returnees and 37 health workers figuring among the new cases. Presently, 59,517 patients are under treatment, with 5,91, 845 recoveries.