Wang Jingli wangjingli0715@163.com A MILESTONE in the life of Chinese students, the National College Entrance Examinations, also known as the gaokao, will start today in a very special context this year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to be a cause of concern. To ensure the safety and health of examinees and proctors, Shenzhen has implemented strict antivirus measures at all the 43 exam venues across the city. A total of 43,500 students in Shenzhen will take the two-day exam, which begins today, according to the city’s education bureau. One school has been designated as an isolation venue for examination candidates with suspected symptoms while another 212 backup exam rooms are ready for use in case of emergency. Students found to have a fever or respiratory ailments but insist on taking the exam can use the isolation rooms to take the exam, according to the bureau. “Gaokao takers this year have to obey a series of new rules when entering our venue,” said Guo Shuying, deputy chief of epidemic prevention work at Shenzhen Hongling Middle School in Futian District. The school will receive 1,541 students for the exam this year. (Continued on P3) (More gaokao reports on P8) “Students have to wash their hands before going through a body temperature check. Students with an abnormal body temperature will be taken to a quarantine room for further check while those with normal body temperatures can go to their test rooms,” said Guo. Students should remove their masks before entering the test rooms for examinee verification, which includes both facial and fingerprint recognition. At Hongling Middle School, students are not required to wear face masks during the test. Staff at the venue will give each student a new mask after completion of the exam. During the test, if any student shows suspicious symptoms, they will be taken to a backup test room for further observation. Any time delays will not be counted against examinees, according to Guo. The test venue will be thoroughly disinfected after the end of each test. | 