South Korea conducts national elections amid coronavirus pandemic

South Korea became the first country in the world to hold national election amid the coronavirus outbreak as citizens were allowed to cast their votes on April 15. According to reports, authorities have set up separate polling stations for those who were quarantined, separate booths for people with fever have also been put in place, while temperature checks on voters are being conducted as part of the preventive measures. 

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The parliamentary poll began at around 9 pm GMT (6 am KST) with 43.9 million voters eligible to cast their votes. According to reports, all citizens have been asked to wear protective gear like face masks and gloves before coming out to vote. Media reports suggest that voters have been asked to stand 3 feet apart from each other at polling stations to avoid physical contact and maintain social distancing. 

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Campaigning had also been affected by the virus outbreak so candidates took to social media platforms to communicate with voters online. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, 27 per cent of respondents said that they were reluctant to go out and vote while 72 per cent said they were not worried at all.

Gallup polls indicate President Moon Jae-in's approval ratings went up from 41 per cent in late January to 57 per cent last week. The ruling Democratic party which doesn't enjoy a majority in the parliament currently, got 44 per cent support in the last opinion poll conducted before the election, while the main conservative opposition United Future Party got 23 per cent support. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

South Korea was one of the first countries to be hit by the virus outbreak outside mainland China and it stayed the second most affected nation in the world for a long time before Italy, Spain and other European states surpassed it. South Korea received a lot of appreciation for its effective handling of the virus outbreak as it tested a lot of people in just a few weeks by setting up centers at gas stations and other public places.

According to data by worldometer, South Korea has recorded 10,591 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, of which 225 people have lost their lives. There are currently 2,750 active cases in the country with 55 of them under critical condition. Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases have crossed the 2 million mark, while the death toll stands at 1,26,754 at the time of publishing this story.  

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(Image Credit: AP)