#JaVotes2020 | Mosquitoes Outnumber Voters At HWT Primary

By: Admin

Image caption:

Erica Virtue/Senior Gleaner Writer

Polling division 35 at Half Way Tree primary school in the constituency of St Andrew East Central, accepted its first elector at 7:03 am this morning.

The process took six minutes, but three minutes later, the second person in the line was still in position. Shortly afterwards, the elector was called and that process was completed in three minutes.

Outdoor agents of the political parties were seen offering sanitising solutions. Another station was placed at the entrance of the door to the polling station, while hands are sanitised twice inside the station - once before the vote is done and before dipping in the ink.

A small crowd of older voters were the first to vote at the school, which houses a cluster of polling stations 29-37.

Electors were seen fanning profusely, the heavy contingent of mosquitoes, which have been occupying the school since they closed in March. Inside the polling station, a fan was in full force in the early hours to offend the mosquitoes, a election day worker said.

The Ministry of Health is still reminding individuals that the dengue is still a health focus despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

The worker said the rooms where voting was being done, were sprayed earlier, but mosquitoes remained the largest gathering at the polling cluster.

The normal chatter and buoyancy among electors was noticeably absent, while election officials were busy enforcing the six feet distance between individuals.

An old lady estimated to be in her 80's was allowed to at her station first

A steady trek of voters were observed heading to the school betweenb7:15 and 745.

Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillip's is the incumbent and he is being challenged by Jodian Myrie, the daughter of dancehall artist Mark Myrie, who is better known as Buju Banton.

St Andrew East Central

2020

PNP - Peter Phillips

JLP - Jodian Myrie

2016

PNP - Peter Phillips - 7,017

JLP - Marie Prince - 4,774