Elections 2023: these are the biosafety regulations in force in the framework of the pandemic

A new electoral process will take place in Ecuador next Sunday, February 5. Prefects, mayors, urban and rural councilors and members of the parish councils will be elected. Also to the members of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control and will vote in the 2023 referendum.

The day will begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Like any electoral process, for that day the mobilization of a large number of people is expected, both in the electoral precincts and in the land terminals, since many people do not necessarily reside in the place where they vote.

These are the state and municipal Civil Registry agencies that will attend extended hours from January 30 to February 5 for the electoral process

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biosafety regulations issued by the national Emergency Operations Committee (COE) remain in force in the country, according to the resolution of December 20, 2022.

Which are?

♦ Mandatory use of a mask in closed spaces, poorly ventilated places and where distancing cannot be maintained (work, public transport, classrooms, etc.).

♦ Mandatory use of a mask in health entities (hospitals, health centers, laboratories).

♦ All people with respiratory symptoms must use a face mask.

♦ The use of a mask is suggested in open places where massive events and crowds take place where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

♦ Maintain biosecurity measures (hand washing, use of gel alcohol and distancing).

Wilson Tenorio, president of the Ecuadorian Medical Federation, stressed the importance of abiding by these provisions to avoid contagion of COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases.

If possible, the doctor maintained, it would be convenient for each citizen to bring their own pen to exercise the right to vote and if that is not feasible, he recommended bringing gel or alcohol for immediate disinfection as soon as there is contact with surfaces outside their own environment.

These are the 25 urban sectors of Guayaquil that house the largest number of voters

“Everyone takes the same feather and we don’t know, it could be a form of fomite or a means to be able to infect between one person and another,” he said.

Faced with the alert of diseases such as typhoid fever, which in cities like Guayaquil already registers nine cases, Tenorio urged the population to avoid consuming food and liquids prepared without basic hygiene standards. (YO)