TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — COVID-19 quarantine measures will prevent 65,000 eligible voters from casting their ballots in the Nov. 26 local elections, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Friday (Nov. 25).

A maximum of 19.3 million citizens will be qualified to vote for city mayors or county commissioners, city or county councilors, and local chiefs across the country Saturday; and to decide on a referendum about lowering the voting age to 18 from 20.

Under quarantine regulations, people confirmed with COVID have to isolate at home for at least five days and will not be allowed to leave home to vote. The Central Election Commission (CEC) dismissed recent suggestions to provide separate voting booths for COVID cases and to vote by mail as having no basis in law.

According to CECC chief Victor Wang (王必勝), a total of 66,000 people were confirmed as COVID cases from Nov. 22-25, with more than 10,000 new cases expected Saturday, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

While they would bring the total of COVID cases facing quarantine to about 80,000, only about 80% or 65,000 would be eligible voters, Wang said. The health official also said that he had not noticed people failing to report COVID symptoms in order to avoid quarantine and thereby vote Saturday.