The committee (EC) on Wednesday made it mandatory for all contesting candidates and their polling agents to either test negative for COVID-19 or show proof of getting received both doses of vaccines to enter the counting centres on May 2.
This instruction is a component of the Commission’s detailed COVID19 protocol released Wednesday for the counting day, when the results of the Assembly elections held in Kerala, Tamil Nadu , West Bengal , Assam and Puducherry are going to be declared.
The candidates will need to produce a COVID negative report within 48 hours (either on April 30 or by May 1) before the counting day to access the counting centres. The EC has tasked all District Election Officers to rearrange for either RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Test for the candidates and their counting agents before the day of counting.
If the candidate or one among her agents is infected, then a replacement will need to be appointed. “No one having any symptom of COVID19-like fever, cold etc. shall be allowed to enter the counting hall,” the EC’s instruction states.