Thousands of Hong Kong students were among the first in the world to take their final secondary school exams on Friday, all wearing face masks and having their temperatures checked after being stuck at home for months due to the coronavirus.
SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN SHUT SINCE LATE JANUARY
The Diploma of Secondary Education examination was given the go-ahead with a four-week delay as the number of new coronavirus cases has fallen, though social-distancing measures remain in place throughout the Chinese-ruled city.
“Although it’s relatively dangerous to start the examination for us candidates at this moment, the (exams) might have been cancelled altogether unless they were held now,” 19-year-old Emily Chui said before going into the exam hall at the Clementi Secondary School on Hong Kong island.
Students were asked to arrive early for temperature checks, while face masks were mandatory, hand sanitizer was available and desks were about 2 metres (6 feet) apart.
Students were also required to present a health declaration form.