Osong Public Health Res Perspect.  2020 Aug;11(4):158-163. 10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.4.03.

COVID-19 Public Health Measures During National Assembly Elections of the Republic of Korea

• Kim EY
• Kim EK
• Lee M
• Park HK

• KMID: 2505286
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.4.03

Abstract

The general elections for the 21^st National Assembly in the Republic of Korea were scheduled for April 15^th, 2020, which was during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. To ensure a safe election, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recommended several public health measures. The KCDC developed key interventions after reviewing the general election strategy that targeted COVID-19 patients and individuals isolating at home. Four voters who participated in the election tested positive, but did not contract COVID-19 during voting. The results demonstrated that the KCDC minimized the spread of infection in the community during the election. The measures implemented by KCDC during the election held under a COVID-19 outbreak cannot be generalized to elections as a whole because cultural and national consciousness vary between countries. Nevertheless, it demonstrates that the systemic strategies and applications against the pandemic can minimize the possibility of viral spread.

Keyword

COVID-19; isolation; voting