Adoption of Strategies to Mitigate Transmission of COVID-19 During a Statewide Primary Election — Delaware, September 2020

Details

• Personal Author:
  Leidman, Eva ; Hall, Noemi B. ; Kirby, Amy E. ; Garcia-Williams, Amanda G. ; Aponte, Jose ; Yoder, Jonathan S. ; Hong, Rick ; Albence, Anthony ; Coronado, Fátima ; Massetti, Greta M.
• Corporate Authors:
  CDC COVID-19 Response Team. ; Delaware. Department of Health and Social Services, ; Delaware. State Election Commission.
• Description:
  What is already known about this topic? CDC has published interim guidance for elections officials, poll workers, and voters for maintaining healthy environments and operations at polling stations to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Transmission.
  
  What is added by this report? Survey responses from Delaware’s September 15, 2020 primary election poll workers demonstrate the feasibility of implementing CDC guidance, but highlight the large number of persons poll workers have close contact with as well as gaps in infection Prevention, including ensuring correct mask use and providing training and personal protective equipment to poll workers assisting ill voters.
  
  What are the implications for public health practice? Enhanced attention to reducing congregation in polling locations, correct mask use, and enabling safe voting options for ill voters are critical considerations for elections to minimize risk for voters and poll workers.
  
  Acknowledgments
  
  Tables
  
  Table 1
  
  Table 2
  
  Table 3
  
  References
  
  Related Materials
  
  PDF pdf icon[131K]
  
  Elections occurring during the coronaVirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been affected by notable changes in the Methods of voting, the number and type of polling locations, and in-person voting procedures (1). To mitigate Transmission of COVID-19 at polling locations, jurisdictions have adopted changes to protocols and procedures, informed by CDC’s interim guidance, developed in collaboration with the Election Assistance Commission (2). The driving principle for this guidance is that voting practices with lower infection risk will be those which reduce the number of voters who congregate indoors in polling locations by offering a variety of Methods for voting and longer voting periods. The guidance for in-person voting includes considerations for election officials, poll workers, and voters to maintain healthy environments and operations. To assess knowledge and adoption of mitigation strategies, CDC collaborated with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and the Delaware State Election Commission on a survey of poll workers who served during the statewide primary election on September 15, 2020. Among 522 eligible poll workers, 93% correctly answered all three survey questions about COVID-19 Transmission. Respondents noted that most voters and poll workers wore masks. However, masks were not always worn correctly (i.e., covering both the nose and mouth). Responses suggest that mitigation measures recommended for both poll workers and voters were widely adopted and feasible, but also highlighted gaps in infection Prevention control efforts. Strengthening of measures intended to minimize the risk of poll workers acquiring COVID-19 from ill voters, such as additional training and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as support for alternative voting options for ill voters, are needed. Adherence to mitigation measures is important not only to protect voters but also to protect poll workers, many of whom are older adults, and thus at higher risk for severe COVID-19–associated illness. Enhanced attention to reducing congregation in polling locations, correct mask use, and providing safe voting options for ill voters are critical considerations to minimize risk to voters and poll workers. Evidence from the Delaware election supports the feasibility and acceptability of implementing current CDC guidance for election officials, poll workers, and voters for mitigating COVID-19 Transmission at polling locations (2).
  
  Suggested citation for this article: Leidman E, Hall NB, Kirby AE, et al. Adoption of Strategies to Mitigate Transmission of COVID-19 During a Statewide Primary Election — Delaware, September 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 23 October 2020.
  
  mm6943e2.htm
  
  mm6943e2-H.pdf
  
  
• Subjects:
  CoronaVirus Infections COVID-19 Crowding Disease Transmission, Infectious Pandemics Politics Social Distance
• Source:
  MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2020; v. 69 Early Release
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Delaware
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4cb27a67e809b6e5ca89e935c7eedb90d95e2bc84e0fe60effed62066903ea434010af3fe3dcd4d2ce2f4b45348dc7a86a444d33e7fdec64d218cc1006d70e63
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/95841/cdc_95841_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 130.90 KB ]