The Department of Medical Services and Public Health Services, as part of a series of instructions to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Corona virus, urges election officials to implement the following protection measures.
It is noted that for the purposes of implementing the aforementioned directives, all personnel who come into contact with voters or places visited by voters in the context of elections are considered election workers. These measures should be considered as the minimum that should be applied. Depending on the conditions that will prevail during the electoral process, the General Election Commissioner may impose additional measures for the protection of voters and workers, if this is deemed necessary.
It is also important that the management of the electoral process defines roles and responsibilities for the staff, so that the dissemination and circulation of information is implemented effectively (e.g. if one of the staff falls ill, the management must be informed immediately) and also know the staff the actions to take in the event of any emergency of this nature.
Regulatory Regime On Contagion (Determining Measures to Prevent the Spread of the Corona Virus COVID 19) Decree (No. 2) of 2023:
i. For people who are in confinement after testing positive for the disease Covid 19, and are registered in the electoral roll, on the day of the elections, permission is granted to go exclusively to the electoral center where they are registered, for the purpose of exercising their right to vote.
• They can go to the polling station either on foot or by private vehicle in which they will have exclusive use for that day and without any other stops.
• It is noted that the use of public transport is prohibited.
• They must necessarily wear a protective mask.
Rooms:
• Rooms to be adequately ventilated. The use of air conditioners is allowed provided that a continuous and sufficient intake of fresh air is ensured, either by using mechanical systems or by natural regular ventilation of the space.
• Employees and candidates' representatives must necessarily wear a protective mask throughout their stay at the polling station.
• Recommendation for the use of a protective mask by all voters inside the polling stations
o Existence, in a clear position at the entrances and exits (where applicable), of the voting booths, a bottle of alcoholic solution (with injection pump and base) for hand hygiene, for use by voters.
• The polling booths will not have a curtain and it will be the responsibility of the staff of the center to regularly disinfect them, as well as all surfaces that voters and staff come into contact with, as well as the pens.
• Disinfection of voters' hands upon entering and exiting the polling station is mandatory.
Staff Hygiene
All employees of the election centers and the representatives of the candidates, it is recommended that they carry out a rapid antigen detection diagnostic test (self test) for the disease of COVID19 the day before the elections.
– Written instructions and training should be made available from the directorate of the electoral process on how to disseminate COVID-19 to the staff so that they are aware of their symptoms COVID-19 and be able to recognize them in time. The purpose is to be able to seek appropriate medical assistance and laboratory testing and to minimize the risk of infection to both the public and other workers.
– All staff working in the electoral process must be trained on precautions:
o Personal protection rules
o respiratory hygiene (when coughing or sneezing, cover the nose and mouth with a tissue which is discarded immediately in the waste. If this is not available, cover the mouth and nose with the inside of the elbow),
o avoiding hand contact with the eyes, nose and mouth to reduce the risk of infection with the virus,
o frequent hand hygiene especially after contact with respiratory secretions, before eating and after using the toilet (hand hygiene includes either cleaning hands with soap and water or rubbing hands with an alcohol solution, rubbing with alcohol solution is preferable when hands are not visibly soiled, washing hands with soap and water especially when visibly soiled).
– Personnel showing symptoms of COVID-19 he should refrain from work and contact his personal physician immediately by phone. If symptoms occur during work, the working person should leave work immediately. Such staff may exercise their right to vote before leaving.
– The management of the electoral process will make arrangements for the continuous monitoring of the staff regarding the possible appearance of relevant symptoms.
- An effort should be made for the staff to work in groups with a permanent composition so as to reduce the possibility of the spread of the virus in the event of an outbreak.
- To make a recommendation to people who may belong to vulnerable groups, not to work in the elections.
Organization of polling places
– Before the elections, to inform the election staff of any gatherings that will take place, these should be held with the least number of people and should be governed by personal protection measures.
– During the electoral process, it should be ensured that access to the polling stations will be conducted without overcrowding and crowding.
There should be a geographical dispersion of the electoral centers (e.g. in more places)
It should be ensured that all access points to the polling stations are open.
- To avoid the use of election centers that are accessible by elevator.
- Mandatory dispersal of voters during access to the Center and avoiding their unnecessary stay in the area.
– Placement of personal hygiene posters/instructions.
– Disinfection of canopies and equipment at regular intervals.
– There will be unobtrusive availability of antiseptic at the entrance of the election centers, in the toilets and other prominent places.
– The use of air conditioners is allowed provided that the continuous and sufficient intake of fresh air is ensured either by using mechanical systems or by natural regular ventilation of the space.
Practices during the conduct of the elections
- An effort should be made so that the minimum possible number of people remains inside the center. Waiting for voters to be done outside
– To reduce to the minimum possible both in number and time the presence inside the centers of any observers who act on behalf of candidates and any visits by candidates / party officials.
– The staff to limit as far as possible the conversation with voters and with each other to the absolutely necessary.
– Proposal for arrangement and delegation of duties
o The person handling the electoral roll (1) sits next (to the left) to the person (2) who will be handing out the ballots.
o When the voter enters the Center, he proceeds to the person (1) who handles the electoral roll. The person (2) sitting next to him gives a pen to sign the list and asks him with the same pen to vote. (Pen comes from kit A)
o After the voter has signed the list, Person 2 gives him the ballot.
o The voter then signs the list and, holding the same pen, proceeds to the canopy.
o Persons 1 and 2 are advised to disinfect their hands.
o After marking his choice he exits the canopy and places the ballot in the ballot box and the pen in box B.
o When the voter leaves, the canopy where the voter uses to mark his choice is disinfected.
o Frequent hand disinfection during the sorting and counting of votes.
o Do not consume food/drinks inside the Center (this requires the removal of the mask).
Cleaning and disinfection
– Cleaning staff must be trained in proper cleaning and disinfection procedures regarding the coronavirus COVID-19. The appropriate documents posted in the "Instructions for dealing with the effects of the coronavirus in workplaces" section on the website of the Press and Information Office are used for this purpose -
https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/categories/info
– Diligent and frequent cleaning and disinfection of shared objects.
– Soap and paper dispensers in the restrooms should always have soap and paper towels available, should be checked frequently for proper operation and cleaned frequently.
– Provision of toilets with liquid soap, disposable hand towels (which will be disposed of in bins with a foot-operated lever near the sinks), and an antiseptic alcoholic solution (70% alcohol content). The plastic bags of the bins, when full, must be tied tightly and removed immediately. After use, the gloves must be disposed of immediately in the plastic bags of the waste bins and no attempts should be made to clean them, e.g. washing disposable gloves and reusing them.
– In addition to normal toilet cleaning tasks, frequently used smooth surfaces (e.g. knobs, handles, handrails of stairs or railings, switches, faucets, elevator buttons, etc.) need frequent cleaning with common cleaners, i.e. liquid soap and water, or household bleach solution (0,1% sodium hypochlorite), or 0,5% hydrogen peroxide, or alcohol antiseptic (70% ethanol). It is noted that cleaning operations must be carried out using gloves and a work uniform suitable for this purpose.
Consumables
Care must be taken to ensure that sufficient consumables for the prevention of infections are immediately accessible to polling stations at all times:
• liquid soap
• alcoholic hand sanitizer (70% ethanol)
• tissues
• protective face masks.
• garbage bags
• liquid surface cleaning detergents
• boxes marked A & B for placing the pens.
Delivery of the polling stations.
At the end of the election process, the rooms that will be used as election centers should be naturally ventilated for at least half an hour and disinfected.