Portugal says voters with COVID-19 will be able to leave homes to cast ballots

Portugal's government announced on Wednesday that it will allow voters with positive COVID-19 infections to leave their isolation to cast their ballots during the country's upcoming election on Jan. 30.

The government is recommending that people infected with COVID-19 make their trip to the ballots between 6 and 7 p.m. Interior Minister Francisca Van Dunem urged people with positive tests not to go before that hour though voting during that time slot is not mandatory, according to Reuters.

"We need a social pact that allows everyone to vote in safety," Van Dunem said.

He also asked that those breaking their isolation to vote not use public transit but instead walk or use their own car. However, there will not be designated voting areas for those positive for the virus nor will proof of their health status be required at the polls, Reuters said.

"This solution of having a dedicated time period for these people to vote... will prevent, not totally, but will minimize the risk of contagion," Graca Freitas, who leads the health authority DGS, said, according to the news service.

The government's Wednesday announcement comes as nearly 90 percent of Portugal's population is fully vaccinated. However, case numbers have surged as the country reported a new daily high of 52,549 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, Reuters noted.

Early studies have indicated that the omicron variant is more mild and less likely to cause hospitalization than previous variants.

Portuguese hospitals had 1,959 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, compared to a record-breaking 6,869 patients on Feb. 1 of last year, Reuters added.