S. Korea to allow absentee voting by coronavirus patients in parliament elections this month

Coronavirus patients in South Korea will be allowed to vote by mail or as absentees in parliamentary elections this month, it has been announced, as a two-week campaign began on Thursday in a country grappling with a steady rise in new infections. Voters go to the polls on April 15 to elect 300 members of the National Assembly for the next four years. The election is seen as an exercise posing challenges over how to rein in the virus at polling places while ensuring people can exercise their right to vote, Reuters said.

Roughly 4,000 patients receiving treatment will be able to cast ballots by mail or absentee voting ahead of time, according to Interior Minister Chin Young. The government is still exploring measures for those who have not tested positive but are in self-quarantine.

The campaign launched with candidates wearing masks and shunning handshakes and large rallies. The National Election Commission has urged all voters to wear masks in polling stations, make use of sanitizers and gloves available there, and keep a distance from others.

With 89 new infections on Thursday, the tally of cases rose to 9,976, while the death toll rose by four to 169, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. A total of 5,828 people have recovered from the virus, with 3,979 still receiving treatment, it added.