Health Officials: No COVID-19 Case Spread Linked to Voting
By: Coleen Harry Published (WFAE . - Charlottes NPR News Source)
The North Carolina elections have not been linked to COVID outbreaks. The outcome demonstrates that it is possible to safely engage in large public activities. There haven't been reports linking voting to COVID spread in other states, either.
Perhaps if we put more effort into understanding how the safety of the election was accomplished then we could improve guidelines and mitigation efforts for other activities. Where are the scientists when we need them?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Two weeks after the polls closed in North Carolina and nearly 4 million people voted in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, state health officials have some good news.
"We are not aware of any clusters tied to voting sites in NC," said Amy Adams Ellis, spokeswoman for the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Considering the state of COVID-19 in North Carolina and the United States, that counts as a significant achievement.
As the general election approached, state and federal officials warned about the possible public health nightmare that could unfold with in-person voting during a pandemic.
The DHHS website includes a page that gives election officials guidelines to prevent the virus from spreading. Health officials wrote, "any scenario in which many people gather together poses a risk for COVID-19 transmission."
When early voting started, North Carolina was looking at a bleak picture of COVID-19. On Oct. 15, state health officials reported 2,532 cases. At the time, that was the highest single-day total the state had seen.
Through Election Day, cases ranged from 2,684 to 2,349, according to the COVID-19 NC dashboard.
Elections officials were required to wear masks, but voters were not. The right to vote could not be denied for refusing to wear a mask.
Jodie Valade Masks, gloves and single-use stylus pens sit on a table at Spectrum Center during North Carolina's early voting period.
County election officials say with all of that information in mind, reducing the risk and preventing a spread of the coronavirus was at the center of their election planning.
"The first thing we did was to look for alternate early voting sites that were larger than the sites we had previously used so that both our stations for voting and voting booths could be spread out," Cabarrus County Elections Director Carol Soles said.
Election officials say three of the four early voting places in Cabarrus County — Northern Tool Plaza, Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, and Embassy Suites — all were larger than the sites they replaced.
Likewise, Mecklenburg County had early voting sites at Bank of America Stadium, Spectrum Center and Bojangles Coliseum to allow for social distancing in some of the largest buildings available. Elections Director Michael Dickerson said "it was the goal of our office to maintain the safety of our workers and the safety of the voters throughout the entire process."
Health and elections officials in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, and Anson counties say no election-related COVID-19 cases have been reported to them.
The N.C. Department of Emergency Management sent masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, wipes and other cleaning supplies to all local election offices.
In Mecklenburg County, 432,928 people voted in person during early voting and on Election Day. Dickerson said his office took extra steps to prevent a spread.
"We used sneeze guards and sanitizing stations and even had one person at each site responsible for cleaning touchpoints," Dickerson said. "We followed the CDC guidelines for safe voting in the pandemic. Obviously, we observed the 3 'W's' - wait six feet, wear a mask, and wash your hands. When possible we queued voters outside and socially distanced voters inside to minimize contact."
Erin Keever A poll worker in University City sits behind a protective shield during early voting.
Soles says she relied on state election and health officials for guidance while her office prepared for the elections. In addition to the personal protective equipment (PPE) that the state sent, Soles said county officials also bought plexiglass dividers for voting stations.
"My hope was to not only have workers and voters to be safe, but for them to feel comfortable in both working and voting during the election period," Soles said.
Guarding against the virus spread wasn't a cheap endeavor.
Even with state-supplied PPE, Gaston County Elections Director Adam Ragan says his office spent thousands of dollars to make sure voters and workers were safe.
"In all, the county paid around $60,000 for one-stop and Election Day shields, social distancing markers, and other protective supplies," Ragan said.
Election staff in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Iredell, Anson, and Union counties say they're still adding up how much money they spent to safeguard against the virus. They're expecting the federal government to reimburse all costs with the CARES Act.
Brett Vines, spokesperson for Union County Board of Election said his office spent money on equipment and additional workers.
"We hired workers to clean booths at every voter-used booth," Vines said. "We had precautionary measures in place so the voters and workers would have a safe environment to work and vote."
It wasn't cheap in Iredell County, either.
"We spent a lot on this 2020 election," said Becky Galliher, director of elections in Iredell County. "Not sure how much, but we were given a lot of grant funding."
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Yes, it is possible to engage in large public gatherings and activities without spreading the coronavirus. That's what the real-world evidence shows.
So why aren't scientists studying the elections and using what they learn for guidance on other activities? We didn't have to shut the elections and, apparently, that wasn't a problem.
It was not a problem because they were in controlled environments with masks and distancing required and everyone complied. With large gatherings, there will be people not wearing masks and in close personal contact. Some will exhibit reckless behavior just as we have seen before from large gatherings. There will be increases in infections just as we saw happened in SD and superspreader events. Even the WH is now a germ fest. Now we have 3 major holidays coming up....Thanksgiving, XMas, and NY eve. People will blow off common sense precautions. There will be large family gatherings and parties, despite a lot of states mandating that they should not have them. I think the largest spikes will be during Xmas, especially from churches. Too many church leaders are poo pooing science despite the fact that the CV has killed multiple pastors. Since one of them put out that Christians are immune because of Trump surviving it, has gotten the CV. I am betting there were plenty of Christians in the thousands who have since died after Trump got it. Then you have that con Copeland saying that he can heal a person if they touch their TV screens as he preaches. The traditional kiss at midnight on NY's eve may very well become a kiss of death. Comparing the controlled environments of the polling places to what is sure to be disastrous large gatherings with little to no control is comparing apples to oranges.
We now KNOW WHY all the usual and customary methods of voting were tampered with
Instead of blaming Trump, perhaps the real culprits should be pointed out.
Speaking of China....where would we be if the repressive, corrupt, and uncaring communist Chinese "government authorities" had NOT silenced, shamed, and punished Dr. Li Wenliang and other medical professionals, who determined a new virus was spreading in the Wuhan area. Perhaps it could have been confined to that local area. But it's easier for the commie apologists to blame "Orange Man"