Govt mulls vaccinating election officials, if polls held in April

The government at a meeting on Wednesday discussed the vaccination of election officials conducting at-home voting in the upcoming municipal elections.

If the elections proceed on schedule, the Government is prepared to change the order of vaccination, said an official press release.

In that case, the COVID-19 vaccine could be given to the election officials who conduct at-home voting. In addition, municipalities are responsible for vaccinating election official who belong to risk groups or are over 70 years of age in good time.

In the municipal elections scheduled for this spring, the number of people who register for at-home voting is expected to increase.

Persons placed under quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure may also register for at-home voting.

The Government discussed the adoption of certain powers laid down in the Emergency Powers Act at the meeting.

The decrees on the use of these powers are currently under preparation.

The Government aims to make decisions on the decrees in its session on Friday, after which they will be submitted to Parliament.

The Government discussed adopting the following powers laid down in the Act to the extent necessary:

Directing the operations of healthcare and social welfare units, compliance with the time limits for non-urgent care, communication by the state administrative authorities in emergencies and decisions on powers in emergencies.

On 1 March, the Government, in cooperation with the President, made the decision to declare a state of emergency in the country.