NEW DELHI : The Union Ministry of Health issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) on Wednesday on preventive measures to be followed when conducting examinations to contain the spread of the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the latest guidelines, only test centers outside the containment zone will be allowed to operate. In addition, personnel or students from containment zones will not be allowed into the centers. Said students will have the opportunity to take the exam through other means or the University / Educational Institution will take care of taking the exam at a later date for said students, the ministry said.
Educational institutions, examining authorities and centers can plan the exam schedule in a staggered manner to avoid overcrowding, the government said. In addition, he also advised all centers to ensure masks, hand disinfectants and hygiene within the enclosure.
Exam centers have also been advised to have a designated isolation room for anyone exhibiting symptoms at the time of the exam or during the exam, until such time as medical advice can be sought. If a student is found to be exhibiting symptoms and insists on taking the test, he or she may be allowed to take it in a separate isolation room. Permission in such cases will be granted by the authorities in charge of the examination. Examination authorities will outline a clear policy in advance regarding the possibility for symptomatic candidates to take examinations.
Bags, books and mobiles will not be allowed in the exam centers according to the SOP, and students will be taken to a registration room in batches maintaining the proper physical distance rules for document verification and marking attendance. Thereafter, they will be escorted in groups to their assigned exam room.
If necessary, the student’s registration will take place after the thermal evaluation. Personnel involved in the search must wear a triple-layer medical mask in addition to gloves. Such personnel should maintain proper hand hygiene each time gloves are changed. Upon completion of the exam, candidates should be allowed to move in in an orderly manner, the guidelines say.
Students must complete the self-declaration form. According to the guidelines, if any exam officer or student does not meet the self-declaration criteria, they will be denied entry.
Only asymptomatic staff and students will be allowed into the exam room in accordance with the guidelines and everyone must wear a face mask / cover at all times within the exam center.
Institutions can adopt contactless processes like OR code, online forms, digital signatures for the exam. The seating arrangements in the exam room will be done in such a way as to maintain proper social distancing, the guidelines said.
For paper-and-pencil tests, the guidelines state that the supervisor will sanitize their hands before distributing the questions and answer sheets. Students will also sanitize their hands before receiving said papers and returning them to supervisors. The collection and packaging of the answer sheets, at each stage, will also involve hand sanitization.
The answer sheets will preferably be opened after 72 hours have elapsed after the collection of the works, the guidelines state that the use of saliva or saliva will not be allowed to count or distribute the sheets.
The government said that a record of all exam officials and students will be kept in the system for future reference and traceability. Installation and use of the Aarogya Setu app will be encouraged, the government said.
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