As many as nine COVID-19 patients cast their votes in Coimbatore district on Tuesday. They walked into the polling stations wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) after 6 p.m.
According to the Health Department authorities, eight asymptomatic patients, who were in home isolation, cast their votes at a polling station at S.S. Kulam of Kavundampalayam constituency.
Another patient from KG Hospital exercised his franchise at a polling station at Avarampalayam. The patient was scheduled to be discharged on Wednesday, said a spokesperson from the hospital. The driver of the ambulance who transported the asymptomatic patient also wore PPE.
One COVID-19 patient, who was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, cast his vote at Ponnapuram.
The officials had arranged transport facilities for the patient to visit the polling booth and provided him PPE kits. PPE kits were provided to the election officials at the booth too. Election officials in Pollachi said they had taken the list of COVID-19 patients at hospitals and home quarantine and had said that they could cast the vote and facilities would be made. However, only one person cast the vote.
As per the Commission guidelines, the administration had also placed bins to collect the used sanitisers. Sources had said that the Public Health Department would take care of the disposal of the used gloves as it had tied-up with the service provider who processed medical waste generated at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
(With inputs from M. Soundariya Preetha, Wilson Thomas and Karthik Madhavan)
