A milestone in the life of Chinese secondary students, the national college entrance exam, also known as Gaokao, will be held in a very special context this year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to be the main cause of concern. To ensure the safety and health of millions of examinees, monitors and staff, China's Ministry of Education will adopt strict pandemic containment measures in over 7,000 exam sites with nearly 400,000 exam rooms across the country.

A total of 10.71 million students are sitting the competitive examination, which was postponed by one month to run from July 7 to 8 this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is arguably the biggest public event with the largest gathering since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

To ensure their safety, a slew of prevention measures will be taken, including wearing face masks and preparing isolation rooms for those with suspicious symptoms, according to the Ministry of Education.

All students and staff should start to monitor their health situations by taking daily temperatures 14 days before the exam, and have to get their temperatures checked and wear face masks before entering the exam sites, said He Qinghua, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference held by the Ministry of Education on Friday.

After entering the exam rooms, students in areas with low infection risks can decide whether to wear masks, while those in medium- and high-risk areas and all monitors and staff need to wear masks for the whole duration of the exams, according to the official.

Special isolation rooms will be set up at each exam site, and students found to have a fever or respiratory ailments will first undergo a health evaluation conducted by professional medical staff to decide if they can continue to take the exams, He said.

If they pass the evaluation, they will use the isolation rooms to take their exams. Monitors at these isolation rooms will need to wear protective suits if necessary, the official added.

Additionally, careful disinfection and proper ventilation will be prepared in advance at test sites.

Wang Hui, a senior official with the education ministry, said relevant authorities and institutions at all levels will take anti-pandemic preparations for the exam very seriously and formulate detailed plans on the basis of local situations.

The authorities and schools will also provide better services for students, such as supplying health kits and providing psychological counselling.

He also noted that efforts to ensure order and discipline at the exam sites and crack down on cheating will be no less strict.

Meanwhile, police patrols around the exam sites will be strengthened during the exams to ensure sound security and traffic order in nearby areas, according to Zhang Zuoliang, an official with the public security ministry.

(Cover image via VCG)