Millions of Israelis went to the polls Tuesday in the country’s fourth election in two years, but special arrangements had to be made to accommodate hospitalized patients in coronavirus wards across Israel and allow them to exercise their right.
Israelis began voting at 7am, with polls expected to leave at 10pm, when polling stations close. By 2pm, 34.6% of Israelis will vote, lower than the same figure reported in the previous national vote.
To avoid the spread of infection, the Central Electoral Committee had instructed hospitals before Election Day on how to conduct the ballot at their coronavirus wards, which include stations establish a special ballot.
According to the committee’s guidance, the staff at these mobile stations – which are made up of different hospital staff – must be Gray Pass keepers and must be fully equipped. throughout Election Day.
In addition, members of the electoral committee will monitor the voting process in these wards through closed-circuit screens, to ensure the integrity of the non-standard voting process.
“I’m salting them for bringing us the ballot boxes,” said 45-year-old coronavirus patient Jalal Masrawa, who voted at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera. my room and they asked me If I wanted to vote, I told them I did, I showed me the ID and I voted. There is a good team that saw that patients could vote too, ”said Masrawa.
“I am very pleased that patients are being given the opportunity to fulfill this important democratic role,” said Dr. Tatiana Mikhalov, director of the coronavirus ward of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. commends the hospital staff for embarking on this important mission. “
The special polling stations are also open to patients within other wards, as well as hospital staff who cannot go out and vote because of their work.
“The voting process is working well,” said Shavi Shmelo, vice president of human resources at Ichilov Tel Aviv Hospital. “In our coronavirus ward, three have voted so far.” In previous elections, about 1,100 people voted for Ichilov. So far, I think our voting move is looking promising. “
At the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa, four polling stations have been set up, one for coronavirus patients only.
The first person to vote there was 29-year-old Ismail Bahuti, who contracted coronavirus after receiving her first vaccination look. The second was on the 80-year-old Israeli Allegra line from Haifa. Surprisingly, she reached the ballot box with a Green Pass. She said she contracted the virus and became ill despite being vaccinated.
Despite praise from hospital staff and patients for their efforts to allow those restricted in coronavirus wards to vote, the Central Electoral Committee said the turnout is true in the These particular polling stations are still very low, so they are asking everyone who has yet to cast their votes to do so.