MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2020) With millions of South Korean voters set to cast their ballots in a parliamentary election on Wednesday, the Asian nation has become the first country in the world to hold a national election amid the pandemic of the novel coronavirus respiratory disease, COVID-19, which has seen countries across the globe canceling major events, imposing lockdowns and ordering their citizens to stay home.
South Korea is also one of few countries to slowly recover from the outbreak of the deadly disease as daily nation-wide increase in cases remained below 30 for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. This comes just slightly over a month after the nation was grappling with the containment the rapid spread of the virus primarily driven by a cluster of cases in a Christian sect.
It does not mean, however, that the country is letting its guard down, but instead has adopted a set of measures to prevent potential boost in the disease transmission. In particular, voters will have their temperature checked at the entrance to the polling station and are advised to stand one meter apart and wear face masks, South Korean media reports citing the country's election body.
Meanwhile, those citizens under self-quarantine will also be given a chance to cast their ballots. They will be picked up from designated locations and taken to make-shift polling stations in manner that would prevent them from contacting other voters, and ballot stamps and booths would be immediately disinfected.
Record 35 parties set to run for all 300 seats in the parliament, 253 from first-past-the-post Constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party is hoping to secure at least 145 seats in the vote.
