Following the postponement of parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka early this year, authorities have staged a mock election in an effort to test new anti-coronavirus voting measures to be set in place ahead of a parliamentary vote set to hold in August.

The mock election exercise which took place on Sunday place in four of the country’s 22 electoral districts, and was carried out to ascertain the electoral commission and the country’s preparedness to hold an election despite the global coronavirus pandemic. With voters and officials asked to follow the new health guide that including voters wearing face masks, a social distancing of 1m (3ft) on queues, officials protecting themselves with plastic screens or face shield, spraying of disinfectants and voters bringing their own pens and pencils to mark ballot papers, the mock elections were a huge success according to the electoral commission.

“We were very pleased to see that all those who volunteered to take part in this exercise today wore face masks,” said the National Election Commission (NEC) chairman Mahinda Deshapriya at a mock poll held in the northwestern region of Puttalam.

Voters in Sri Lanka can be rest assured that the 5 August election for a new parliament can be held safely by following the COVID-19 health guidelines,” Deshapriya said adding that Sri Lanka can “hold a safe poll by maintaining distance, washing hands and wearing face masks.”

Sri Lanka is long overdue for its parliamentary elections. Originally set for April 25, the polls were shifted to June 20 and now August 5, due to the pandemic. The government had imposed strict restrictions in March in an effort to curb the spread of the disease. These restrictions included a 24-hour nationwide curfew and a ban on any gathering.

Over 1,500 people in Sri Lanka have been infected with the virus so far, with 11 killed.