SEOUL: South Koreans voted for a new National Assembly on Wednesday under strict coronavirus quarantine procedures, such as temperature taking, sanitizing hands and distancing from each other in lines and armed with face masks and plastic gloves.

South Korea is the first major country to hold nationwide elections since the coronavirus pandemic.

A voter wearing a mask and plastic gloves casts her ballot at a polling station in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on April 15, 2020, as South Koreans began voting the same day to elect a new parliament amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)

Election officials and voters followed strict quarantine guidelines and taking extra caution at this year’s polling stations.

Voters were advised to wear masks and asked to stand at least 1 meter apart from each other, with red signs on the floor marking the distance.

Election officials then conducted mandatory temperature checks on voters coming inside the building.

If the voters’ body temperatures reach over 37.5 C, they are taken to a separate voting booth and then sent for virus testing.

Voters were also asked to use hand sanitizers and put on plastic gloves before casting their ballot.

To minimize the possibility of infection, officials used machines for identification instead of fingerprint checks.

Voters were asked to pull down their masks only when officials checked their identification.

They were also advised against talking without their masks on and advised not to bring young children to the polling stations.

The country disinfected over 14,000 polling stations ahead of the elections, and officials said they will frequently disinfect polling booths and ballot stamps.

Some 44 million people are eligible to vote in the elections.