Udhagamandalam: With the Nilgiris getting ready to count the votes polled in the 2021 Assembly elections,on May 2,the Nilgiris Collector and District Election Officer Ms.J.Innocent Divya today convened a meeting to spell out Covid 19 related dos and don’ts to candidates and their agent.

Underlining the growing threat posed by the virus, the Collector said that all the contestants and their agents should compulsorily have their masks on throughout the process of counting.

Stating that till the end of the process, they should ensure that they adhere to social distancing, she said that at the threshold of all the rooms in the counting centre, they have to enter, they should subject themselves to temperature testing.

72 hours prior to the commencement of the counting process, they should be ready with Covid 19 negative certificates.

All of them should be equipped with vehicle passes issued by the District Election Officer.Cell phones will not be allowed.Agents should eschew table hopping and moving from one room to another.They will be permitted to carry only a pen and a sheet of paper.

Among those who attended the meeting were the Superintendent of Police Mr.R.Pandiarajan,Returning Officer (Ooty) Ms.Monica Rana,Returning Officer (Coonoor) Mr.Ranjith Singh and Returning Officer (Gudalur) Mr.Rajkumar.