In Pictures: EC assures polling centres "100 percent" secure from COVID-19

Chairman of the Election Commission (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday (4) insisted that all polling centres in the country that will be in operation during Wednesday's parliamentary election will be "100 percent" secure from any chance of infection of COVID-19.

Addressing the media during a special press briefing at the Government Information Department last evening, Mr Deshapriya added that healt officials led by Director General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe had assured that the health guidelines put in place for the polling booths will ensue that there was no chance of spreading from polling centres. 

Mr Deshapriya also demonstrated the new, specially designed cardboard ballot boxes that will be used during the election. He noted that once polling concludes, the boxes will be sealed and placed in transparent bags and transported to counting centres. Several such boxes from a polling centre will then be placed inside a much larger box and sealed again. The boxes will remain overnight at the counting centres under police guard and watched over by election official and polling agents until the counting process commences on Thursday (6). 

Pix by Indika Handuwala