Beijing held a mock exam Monday to evaluate readiness for the university entrance examination to be held on June 7-8 in the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The mock exam exercise consisted of several parts, including disinfection, health examinations and dealing with accidents during the exams.
Students will have to step onto a mat soaked in liquid disinfectant, check their temperatures and have their health cards checked before entering the examination room, according to the local education authority.
In the event that a student reports fever during the examination, the others will immediately be moved to another room.
To prevent SARS, Beijing has increased the number of exam sites from 90 to around 200, with a total of 4,800 exam rooms. The number of exam takers has also been reduced from 30 to 20 per room.
Meanwhile, all schools serving as exam sites are required to have medical workers on stand-by during the examination.
To guarantee the health and safety of students and teachers, students have also been required to check their temperatures since May 24 and record the results honestly on their heath cards. Fraudulent reporters of temperatures will be deemed ineligible to take the exams, the education department said.
Neither suspect nor probable SARS patients will be allowed to take part in the nationwide examination, according to the department.
About 80,000 high school seniors will take the examination this year.
(People's Daily June 4, 2003)
