Portugal draws fire with plan for COVID-positive voters

byJohn Smith •
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A younger girl carrying a face masks seems at her telephone on a subway practice in Lisbon, Jan. 6, 2022. With one in all Europe's highest vaccination charges and its most pandemic-battered economies, the Spanish authorities is laying the groundwork to method the virus in a lot the identical approach nations take care of flu or measles. Comparable steps are into consideration in Portugal and the UK, whose authorities says that the omicron wave has peaked.
  • A young woman wearing a face mask looks at her phone on a subway train in Lisbon, Jan. 6, 2022. With one of Europe's highest vaccination rates and its most pandemic-battered economies, the Spanish government is laying the groundwork to approach the virus in much the same way countries deal with flu or measles. Similar steps are under consideration in Portugal and the United Kingdom, whose government says that the omicron wave has peaked.
  • A man wearing a face mask walks past election campaign billboards in Lisbon, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. Portugal's government is under fire over its preparations for people infected with COVID-19 to vote in an upcoming snap election, as officials struggle to square the constitutional right to vote with a duty of care for public health. Eligible voters who are infected and confined at home - as many as 600,000 people on the day of the Jan. 30 election, officials estimate - are to be allowed to go to polling stations as an exceptional measure, the government announced Thursday.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s authorities is below fireplace over its plans to let folks contaminated with COVID-19 forged their ballots at polling stations in an upcoming election, as officers battle to sq. the fitting to vote with the responsibility to guard public well being.

Eligible voters who're contaminated and confined at house — as many as 600,000 folks on the day of the Jan. 30 election, officers estimate — are to be allowed to vote in particular person as an distinctive measure, the federal government introduced Thursday.

Nevertheless, it recommends that they vote solely in a 6 p.m.-7 p.m. time slot, when polling stations are historically much less busy, Justice and Inside Minister Francisca Van Dunem stated after a Cupboard assembly.

She stated that it's not operationally sensible to ascertain separate corridors and cubicles in polling stations for contaminated folks.

She stated she trusted within the “traditionally exemplary habits” of the Portuguese to make sure voting goes safely and easily.

Portugal on Thursday formally reported greater than 56,000 new day by day circumstances of COVID-19 — a brand new report amid a latest surge blamed on the omicron variant.

Masks use is necessary in indoor public areas, and the Normal Directorate for Well being issued a suggestion that contaminated folks ought to put on both surgical masks or FFP2 masks — however not fabric masks — in polling stations. Moreover, they need to get there both on foot or by automobile, avoiding public transport.

The Nationwide Affiliation of Public Well being Medical doctors expressed astonishment on the measures, saying they represented “a failure of planning” for the election, which was foreseen two months in the past.

The federal government determination units “an avoidable precedent,” by allowing contaminated folks to depart confinement, and can make it tougher for well being authorities to steer contaminated folks to remain at house, the affiliation stated in an announcement.

It stated it will advocate that medical doctors refuse any medical legal responsibility associated to the federal government’s measures.

Although the variety of contaminated folks has surged in Portugal, stress on the general public well being system has remained manageable, authorities say. On Wednesday, there have been simply over 2,000 folks in hospital and 152 in intensive care.

The well being ministry says 89% of the inhabitants of 10.3 million is absolutely vaccinated, one of many highest charges on the planet.

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Comply with all of AP’s pandemic protection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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