India: Bihar Polls: State explores ways to get more people to vote safely

• The Bihar government is trying to increase voter turnout in the upcoming assembly election without letting its guard down in the fight against Covid-19, a stiff challenge especially since public activities have increased because of election campaigning and the ongoing festive season.
• The health department has adopted a multi-pronged approach in order to control the spread of the virus. Bihar is conducting about 120,000 tests every day, and the state had 10,621 active cases on 18 Oct 20 evening. The number is not high compared with the figures of other states but an election activity could add to the surge.
• On 18 Oct 20 Patna recorded 316 new Covid-19 cases while Araria and Saharsa recorded 72 and 15 new cases respectively. Some other districts, such as Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Purnia, are also under watch as they have been recording a constant increase in numbers.
• In Patna, the government has done a sero survey and identified certain pockets which are contributing to the list regularly. The administration has also clamped restrictions in these areas.

External Link : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/assembly-elections/bihar/state-explores-ways-to-get-more-people-to-vote-safely-amid-covid/articleshow/78737881.cms