Canada elections: What COVID-19 precautions are being taken on voting day?

OTTAWA: Millions of voters will cast their votes in the first federal election during the unprecedented time of Covid-19 pandemic.

The authorities have taken various precautions including millions of single-use pencils and constant cleaning of polling booths, which are called also “hygiene theatre” by some for the overemphasis on surfaces to curtail virus spread during the election day.

Besides this, experts are ensuring that voters will follow physical distancing, masks and ventilation efforts.

As 5.7 million people have voted at advance polls and many had voted by mail, Elections Canada is still expecting that a significant turnout of voters on September 20.

Therefore, authorities have set up sanitizing stations at entrance and exit points, plexiglass barriers would seperate voters from poll workers. Moreover, frequent contact surfaces, such as doorknobs, tables and handrails, will be regularly cleaned.

Doors and windows would be kept open at all possible locations, authorities said.