A PAN American Health Organization official said evidence suggests election campaigning leads to higher transmission of the coronavirus as opposed to actual voting on Election Day.

Dr Ciro Ugarte, director of PAHO’s Health Emergencies Department, made the observation about countries that have held elections amid the pandemic.

He said officials must ensure social distancing, mask wearing and adherence to other health measures are enforced to limit the spread of the virus.

“It is important also to assess the situation... and look to the health services, the availability of beds, both hospitalisation beds and ICU beds,” he said.

“So if there is an increase in the number of cases for several reasons, including the transmission that is ongoing in the country in the Caribbean, in Central America, we need to emphasise that this situation may — the elections may provide opportunities to higher transmission.”

He added: “We’ve seen that the higher transmission occurs during the campaign, rather than on the day of the election. So it is important to avoid situations where the physical distance is very difficult to maintain and in that regard to use masks all the time, of course use also all the measures.”

He said officials should also ensure social distancing and sanitization protocols are adhered to when people cast their ballots.

Health Minister Renward Wells has said the Minnis administration can hold a safe election once the proper protocols are followed on Election Day.