People with serious health conditions who still wear face masks to protect them from Covid will have to remove them at polling stations at the local elections janemerrick23 reports:
Clinically vulnerable people who still wear face masks due to Covid say they are being effectively barred from taking part in next week’sVoters who wear any type of face covering will be asked to remove them in polling stations so staff can check their identity on, and have urged the government to issue exemptions to allow the clinically vulnerable to have their IDs checked outdoors.
But in an email to the group Clinically Vulnerable Families, the commission revealed that its equality impact assessments do not include how the immunocompromised or others with serious health conditions could be affected by the new rules. People who wear face coverings for religious reasons will also have to remove them at polling stations. But the Electoral Commission has issued guidance saying that they can request for a female polling agent to verify their identity.
“Current Equality Impact Assessments do not consider the needs of Clinically Vulnerable people in a post-Covid world who remain at higher risk of severe outcomes from infections. We believe it is essential that Clinically Vulnerable people are recognised under the Equality Act.
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