[UPDATED] Voters grapple with covid19 rules to vote

PAULA LINDO and SHANE SUPERVILLE

Voters were reminded to observe public health regulations while in line outside the St Finbar’s RC School in Arouca as a heavy turnout prompted police and polling staff to enforce physical distancing.

Newsday went to the polling station less than an hour after it opened at 6 am and saw the line bending the corners of Convent Street and Lopinot Road.

While all voters in the line wore face masks and face shields, police had to regulate physical distancing.

Newsday spoke with Monica Grey who said she arrived at around 6.30 am and was surprised by the long lines.

Despite the large turnout, she felt the regulations were being adhered to.

“I’m pleased with what I’ve seen so far. People seem to be following the rules but the police are also here to pull up on anyone who is disregarding the regulations.”

Newsday spoke with another voter who asked not to be identified. She said she felt more planning could have gone into the process.

“I just feel as if everything was a bit rushed. We know what’s going on with the pandemic so this shouldn’t be a last-minute rush to put things in place.”

Most voters at the Curepe Presbyterian Primary School in the St Augustine constituency reported a smooth flow of voting early on Monday. However, there were some discrepancies reported.

Some voters said they were not asked to pull down their masks for their identification to be verified. One said the polling officer said she didn’t look like the photo on her identification card, but she was allowed to vote.

Another voter said while he was allowed to sanitise before using the stamp, he observed the stamp was not being sanitised after each use.

The family of a 73-year-old woman was concerned because after she got to the head of the line she was initially assigned to, she was told she should have been in another line and was sent to the back of that line.

“We all live at the same address and have the same surname, so I don’t understand how that happened. This is the first year we didn’t get our polling cards, and we always get our polling cards.”

Early voters reported waiting up to an hour and a half to vote.

Voter Latoya Mona said her process went smoothly.

“I didn’t have my polling card, but I went in, they found my name, and that was it.”

People seemed to have different ideas of what physical distancing meant, creeping closer to each other as they came closer to being able to enter the polling station. Everyone was wearing a mask or face shield.

This story was originally published with the title "Voting smooth but slow in Curepe" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Most voters at the Curepe Presbyterian Primary School in the St Augustine constituency reported a smooth flow of voting in this morning. However, there were some discrepancies reported.

Some voters said they were not asked to pull down their masks for their identification to be verified. One said the polling officer said she didn't look like the photo on her identification card, but she was allowed to vote.

Another voter said while he was allowed to sanitise before using the stamp, he observed the stamp was not being sanitised after each use.

The family of a 73-year-old woman was concerned because after she got to the head of the line she was initially assigned to, she was told she should have been in another line and was sent to the back of that line.

"We all live at the same address and have the same surname, so I don't understand how that happened. This is the first year we didn't get our polling cards, and we always get our polling cards."

Early voters reported waiting up to an hour and a half to vote.

Voter Latoya Mona said her process went smoothly.

"I didn't have my polling card, but I went in, they found my name, and that was it."

People seemed to have different ideas of what physical distancing meant, creeping closer to each other as they came closer to being able to enter the polling station. Everyone was wearing a mask or face shield.