The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will launch a dry run of its election day protocols on Saturday, October 23.
The poll body said that the simulation will start from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 4,235 test voters participating. The invited participants is higher than the planned limit of 800 voters per precinct under Comelec’s current protocols.
The test voters will be divided in four polling precincts inside the San Juan Elementary School, with three other classrooms to function as holding areas.
The upcoming May 2022 national elections are the first elections amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Voters will start at the Voter’s Assistance Desk where they can check their precincts. Body temperatures will also be checked upon entry.
Under the voting protocols, voters will be mandated to wear face masks and face shields. Every area in the school will be disinfected regularly with election officers standing behind plastic barriers during the whole process.
The one-meter social distancing will be strictly implemented by Covid-19 marshalls inside the school.
The Comelec’s proposed isolation polling place will also be mounted for voters with a body temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celcius or anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Medical personnel will be on hand.
The polling body will also form a special area for voters with disabilities, senior citizens, and heavily pregnant women.
The dry run will help Comelec to “streamline the overall voting experience” to also prevent the further transmission of the virus. Ronald Espartinez