Elections Commission says individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 can cast their votes only through an official at the voting center in the upcoming local council elections.

The Commission said that this would include those who are currently under quarantine having been exposed to the illness.

The Commission announced this in its guideline on how individuals under isolation or quarantine due to the pandemic should cast their votes in the election scheduled for Saturday.

This guideline states that those under quarantine or isolation can only vote after all other voters registered to his/her ballot box had cast their votes.

Such individuals must notify the commission's focal point on each island via the Health Protection Agency HPA task force established on each island. The commission said this should be notified 5 hours prior to voting.

Election Commissions had said that those under quarantine and isolation would be allowed to vote between 05:00 pm to 06:00 pm on election day.

It said that an official from the voting center would accompany such an individual to the voting booth and would tick the ballot as per the voter's preference.

It added that the official will also cast the ballot into the ballot box. The guideline also said that individuals under quarantine or isolation would be kept 6ft apart from officials.

It also said that separate officials would be designated to help such individuals with voting, marking their fingers after voting, and offering sanitization to such individuals