코로나19가 바꾼 정치 1번지 종로 투표 현장...자가격리자들도 '한 표' 행사<br /><br />The 2020 General Election got underway with strict quarantine measures in place,... due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />Let's turn our focus now to how those in self-quarantine came to vote,... and how the outbreak affected one of South Korea's fiercest political battlefields: Seoul's central Jongno-gu District.<br />Here's our Kim Jae-hee.<br />Voters wearing face masks, getting their temperatures checked,... and disinfecting their hands.<br />After putting on plastic gloves,... they patiently wait in line,... standing at least one meter apart from one another.<br />This is how South Korea's 2020 General Election was carried out on April 15th,... due to the global coronavirus pandemic.<br />"It's my first time voting like this. But I feel clean. I think a lot of people like it this way and I hope they continue to do it like this."<br />"I think it's a good idea to carry on with the election. It looks like everything is going well as people are wearing masks, gloves and keeping the right distance from each other."<br />Those in self-quarantine were not forgotten.<br />The government came up with a separate voting timeline for them,... 6 to 7 PM,... after all other voters were finished.<br />For this, the quarantine restrictions were temporarily lifted from 5:20 PM to 7 PM.<br />But, only those who had applied prior to the election were allowed to vote.<br />According to South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety,... around 23 percent of all those in self-quarantine --over 13-thousand people-- had applied.<br />Self-quarantined voters, like those at this polling station in Seoul's central Jongno-gu District -- deemed crucial in terms of its political importance-- were accompanied by health officials in full protective gear.<br />They were checked for any signs of the virus,... such as cough or fever prior to them casting their vote.<br />They also used a separate voting booth set up outside the building, as a precautionary measure,... and the booths were disinfected thoroughly after use.<br />Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.<br />
