COVID-19 Patients Can Go to the Polls and Vote In Person, CDC Says

People who tested positive for COVID-19 or are in quarantine can still vote, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC.

Health officials had posted a new guideline on November 1, clarifying the voting right, but asking those with COVID-19 or a recent exposure to the virus to take extra precaution to protect poll workers and their fellow citizens.

COVID-19 patients can vote

The CDC's guideline says that COVID-19 patients who wishes to vote should wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet away from others and wash their hands or use a hand sanitizer before and after voting.

The voters should also give poll workers a notice about their status once they arrive at the polling station, according to the CDC officials.

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On November 2 alone, the United States recorded more than 84,000 new cases of coronavirus. If all of yesterday's newly COVID-positive voters were combined with Sunday's 81,493 new cases, there will be more than enough voters to swing the vote in Wyoming.

The CDC guideline says that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but only become mildly to moderately ill can be around people again at least 10 days after their symptoms started, at which point they are no longer contagious.

Around 80% of people who catch the coronavirus have mild or moderate cases. That means that around 705,000 of the 881, 920 people who have tested positive of the virus in the last 10 days are well enough to move around but they are still possible contagious as of Election Day.

According to the US Elections Project, some of these people would have had a chance to vote early or by mail-in ballot, as 100 million Americans had by the start of November 3.

Nearly 60 million of those had already mailed their ballots back in and more than 32 million were still outstanding as of November 1, according to The Guardian.

However, absentee or mail-in ballots have to be requested early, and in numerous states, it must be received at the end of the Election Day.

How to stay safe

There is no telling how many Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19 recently, and there is no concrete number on the number of patients who had not casted their ballots when they fell ill.

Exposure to coronavirus is inevitable especially when voting in-person this year. However, even if no one at the polling place has tested positive of the virus, it is still not a guarantee that it won't spread.

That is why the election this year came with special mail-in provisions, and why polling places have lines that stretch even further than usual this year. It is to allow for proper social distancing.

The US Election Project predicts that voter turnout will surpass 150 million in 2020, meaning about 50 million people are still expected to vote on November 3, including COVID-19 patients.

CDC urges all polling stations to help make sure that the voters and volunteers stay at least six feet apart, and that they all wear masks, use hand sanitizers and complete the voting process as efficiently as possible to reduce the potential exposure while in enclosed spaced.

Health officials offer six tips for those who will be voting on November 3, with or without COVID-19. Voters have the right to vote regardless of whether they have the virus or not.

Voters must bring their own supplies like tissues, black ink pen, water, IDs and other items needed when voting. All voters must wear a mask, they must protect themselves when using transport, hands should be cleaned as often as possible and observe social distancing.