Malaysia GE: Covid-positive candidates can vote, do only virtual campaigning while quarantined
PUTRAJAYA - Candidates for Malaysia’s general election who have tested positive for Covid-19 must place themselves under quarantine, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Monday.
But they will be allowed to vote, with the rules on voting by Covid-positive voters set to be announced by the Election Commission (EC).
“The EC will announce the rules for those who are positive. This is for voting, because that is their constitutional right,” he said at a press conference.
“If you’re a candidate who is positive, you have to isolate yourself for a few days but you can still campaign online. That is the responsible thing to do,” he added, adding that it takes about three to four days to recover.
Mr Khairy added that political parties and candidates should set a good example by using face masks when in confined spaces, especially when there are senior citizens present, or when canvassing for votes door-to-door.
“When we have ceramah (rallies) at crowded halls, political parties are encouraged to make announcements requiring attendees to wear face masks,” he said.
He said his ministry had given its recommendations on polling day protocols to the EC.
Mr Khairy also said that in view of the rising number of cases in recent weeks, the ministry highly recommends the use of face masks, especially in crowded and confined spaces for those aged above 50 who have pre-existing health conditions.
“The use of face masks is highly encouraged especially where there are election programmes which involves a lot of people, closed and confined spaces and political ceramah,” he said.
He said it is highly recommended for anyone going to the polling centres to use face masks, including election workers on duty.
Mr Khairy added that according to the ministry’s caseload projection, the daily Covid-19 cases could range between 3,000 to 5,000 after the general election.
“We can have the best prediction models but if we are careful then I believe we can bring it down faster, but it will rise to what we have predicted if we are not careful,” he said.
Malaysians are set to vote on Nov 19, with candidate nomination to be held this Saturday, Nov 5.
Malaysia recorded 3,129 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, which brings the total number of cases in the country to 4,900,051 infections since the pandemic began. - THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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