CDC: Voters With COVID-19 Can Vote In Person

Voters who are sick with coronavirus or are under quarantine due to exposure to the virus still have the right to vote in person, according to updated guidance from the Atlanta-based Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Caption

Voters in Macon, Georgia, waited in long lines during in-person early voting.

Credit: Grant Blankenship | GPB News

The updated guidance from the CDC, issued on Sunday, seems to fly in the face of months of previous guidance for people sickened by COVID-19 or exposed to the virus to quarantine and stay away from people, especially large crowds where the virus can spread rapidly.

RELATED: CDC’s updated guidelines on voting in COVID-19 pandemic
 

Mayor Hardie Davis of Augusta said it's another example of mixed messages -— that one week, the nation learns a top football player must miss a game due to testing positive and now people are told sick voters can show up in person.

“That right there sends a very defining message to the people of the state of Georgia and people of America that we’re not sure what in the hell we’re doing, which is not good," Davis told GPB's Political Rewind.

Republican strategist Julianne Thompson agreed. “It does send a very strange message," she said. "It’s very strange. It's very confusing."

As a result of the new CDC guidance, the Georgia Department of Health said those who are sick or under quarantine “should take steps to protect poll workers and other voters."

“This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and washing their hands or using hand sanitizer before and after voting,” the state health agency said. “Voters should let poll workers know about their condition when arriving at the polling location.”

The agency went on to say poll workers should minimize contact with voters and follow respiratory guidelines, “including wearing a mask and gloves, staying at least 6 feet away from others and washing their hands or using hand sanitizers frequently.”

“Following the prevention steps outlined above will help to ensure voters can safely exercise their right to vote while protecting others at polling locations,” the Georgia Department of Health said.

The shift in policy comes at a time when the pandemic is seeing new peaks across the country, with the nation nearing 100,000 new coronavirus infections per day.

“We’re in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, told the Washington Post over the weekend. “All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”

Georgia has seen nearly 362,000 COVID-19 cases and about 8,000 deaths. Cases have begun rising in the state in recent weeks, especially in rural areas, according to the state health department.

Among those quarantining in Georgia is Gov. Brian Kemp, who was exposed to the novel coronavirus at a rally last week. As of Friday, the governor said he had tested negative for the virus.

In a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said, “CDC’s recommendations for isolating someone who has COVID-19 or quarantining someone who was in close contact with a person with COVID-19 would not preclude them from exercising their right to vote.”

Augusta's Davis said the CDC guidance was baffling. With long lines expected, he said the idea that someone with COVID-19 could socially distance from others was absurd. “It’s absolutely not going to happen," he said.

Mayor Julie Smith of Tifton pondered whether the new guidance will make Election Day a "super-spreader event." 

“It’s the most confusing message I’ve ever heard," she said. "My goodness, it just doesn’t seem to make sense.”