U.S. media says election workers in 5 U.S. states have been tests positive for COVID-19 November 17 According to media reports, about two weeks after the 2020 U.S.
election day, election workers in five U.S. states have tested positive for Covid-19, more than 20 election workers in Missouri were diagnosed.
According to the Associated Press, the five states where election workers were diagnosed were: Missouri, New York, Iowa, Indiana and Virginia. It is currently impossible to determine whether the electoral staff’s diagnosis is related to the polling station.
Public health experts pointed out that due to the rapid spread of the virus in the United States, it is temporarily impossible to determine whether voters going to polling stations to vote in person has caused the pandemic to spread.
Data map: November 3, local time, the United States ushered in the 2020 election day. The picture shows a shop in Chinatown, Washington, DC that day. Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
However, the diagnosis of election workers in many states still raises concerns because of the large number of people they have contact with at the polling stations where they work.
Although many polling stations have adopted anti-pandemic measures, including setting up protective barriers, providing hand sanitizer and maintaining social distance. In most places, election workers are required to wear masks.
According to reports, election workers in Jackson County, Missouri, appear to be the most severely affected by the pandemic so far. In the past few weeks, about 28 employees have been confirmed to be infected with Coronavirus.
Tammy Brown, the head of the county’s election commission, said that staff had instructed voters who were feeling unwell not to enter related facilities. But she suspects that some voters may not listen to the suggestions.
“As election officials, we all know the risks we face,” she said. “I don’t think any of us will be shocked by this (news).” At present, local health officials have not yet compared these confirmed cases with Link up the polling stations. They stated that these employees could be infected anywhere else.
In New York State, after an election worker tested positive for Coronavirus, state officials recommended that more than 1,600 voters who voted at a polling station in the Hudson Valley on election day be tested for the virus.
However, reports said that because the confirmed worker wore a face mask that day and maintained a certain social distance with voters, the risk of voters being infected may be very low.
In Carroll County, Virginia, two staff members from two polling stations were diagnosed with Coronavirus. A local health official said that it is providing virus testing to relevant staff and voters.
