Sri Lanka’s election commission makes wearing face mask mandatory for voters

Sri Lanka’s election commission today said wearing a face mask is mandatory for voters at the parliamentary election scheduled for Wednesday in wake of COVID crisis. Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that voters will however be required to remove the mask and verify their identity at the polling booth.

He said that hand sanitisers will be used and social distancing maintained at the polling booths. The chairman said voters have already been informed that they will be allowed to use their own pens to mark their preferences. Around 1.6 crore voters will be eligible to exercise their franchise to elect a 225-member parliament.