Mandatory Use of Vinyl Gloves for Voting in General Election Amid COVID-19
Vinyl Gloves Used for Only a Few Minutes Then Disposed... Major Cause of Environmental Pollution
Experts: "Sufficient to Equip Polling Stations with Disinfectants for Frequent Use"
On the first day of early voting for the 21st National Assembly election on the 10th, a citizen is voting while wearing plastic gloves at an early voting station set up in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Gayeon, Kang Juhee Intern] "We already use hand sanitizer, do we really need to wear vinyl gloves too?", "I'm worried about environmental pollution."
As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues, the 21st National Assembly election is just two days away. The government has established quarantine guidelines requiring all voters to wear masks, sanitize their hands, wear vinyl gloves, and maintain a 1-meter distance from others to prevent infectious diseases. However, some concerns have been raised about the use of vinyl gloves, as their material may contribute to environmental pollution.
On the 11th, voter A (36) met in front of an early voting station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, said, "After voting, I was shocked to see a huge pile of vinyl gloves stacked like a mountain," adding, "We use hand sanitizer too, so using gloves for just a few minutes during voting and then discarding them seems like a huge waste. If early voting generates this much waste, imagine how much trash will be produced on the main voting day."
Earlier, the Resource Circulation Society Solidarity expressed concerns that disposable sanitary gloves used during the general election could be a major cause of environmental pollution.
On the 10th, the solidarity stated, "The total number of voters is 44 million, and assuming all voters participate, 88 million disposable sanitary gloves will be used, which is equivalent to the height of seven 63 Buildings," adding, "Currently, due to the increase in disposable product usage caused by COVID-19, waste disposal facilities (incinerators, landfills) are insufficient, causing tremendous difficulties. The use of disposable sanitary gloves also causes problems related to climate change, energy, and resource consumption."
They continued, "If voters bring their own personal gloves from home and use them at the polling stations, disposable product usage can be reduced accordingly," encouraging the use of personal gloves at polling stations.
On the 11th, at an early voting station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, citizens lined up to cast their votes. Photo by Joohee Kang, Intern Reporter kjh818@aisae.co.kr
The quarantine authorities emphasized that it is safer to use unused disposable gloves rather than personal gloves when voting. On the 12th, Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a regular briefing, "Although there are concerns about environmental pollution, I believe it is necessary to allow this to some extent for the sake of infectious disease prevention."
Some citizens responded positively to the government's stringent quarantine measures. Voter B in their 20s said, "I was very anxious about voting due to the COVID-19 situation, but the government's thorough quarantine measures reassured me."
However, B also expressed concerns about the use of vinyl gloves. "Although I had no choice but to use vinyl gloves due to the infectious disease situation, seeing the piles of disposable gloves made me feel uneasy," they confessed.
Experts advised that wearing masks and frequently using hand sanitizer are sufficient quarantine measures related to elections.
Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "Using vinyl gloves physically blocks the virus, so it can help prevent infectious diseases," but added, "Given the serious global concerns about environmental pollution, it is questionable whether it is worthwhile for every participant in the general election to use disposable vinyl gloves."
He continued, "Instead of vinyl gloves, providing disinfectants throughout polling stations for frequent hand sanitization would be sufficient," advising, "Although it may be inconvenient, considering the disposable vinyl gloves and environmental pollution, it is something that can definitely be practiced."
Meanwhile, the National Election Commission announced on the 12th that the early voting rate for this general election reached a record high of 26.29%, with 11,742,677 voters participating out of a total of 43,994,247 voters as of 6 p.m. on the last day of early voting, the 11th.
Some believe the high early voting rate is due to many voters wanting to avoid crowded election day out of concern for COVID-19 infection. Attention is focused on how this record-high early voting rate will affect the overall turnout for the general election.
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