Measures taken to facilitate this year's gaokao

On July 7 and 8, a total of 5,514 candidates in Pingyao county sit this year's annual college entrance exam, or gaokao. Due to this year's COVID-19 epidemic, rigorous measures have been put in place to ensure safety and fairness. Let's take a look.

Air conditions at test sites:

* The standard test rooms can use either the split air conditioners or central air conditioning, while the quarantine test rooms must only use the split air conditioners.

* Test rooms without air-conditioning facilities can use natural ventilation, electric fans and other methods to improve ventilation. Doors and windows should not be shut completely when using electric fans and ice cubes to cool down the rooms.

Prevention and disinfection at test sites:

* Schools that have had confirmed infections cannot be used as test centers and all test centers should carry out strict sanitization and sterilization before the exam.

* All the examinees and staff members should undergo 14-day health monitoring and temperature checks before the exam.

* They will have their body temperatures checked at the entrance and will only be allowed into test sites if their temperature is below 37.3 degrees Celsius.

* In order to avoid mistaking normal body temperature for a fever affected by the hot weather, special rooms will be set up for temperature recheck of those who show fever.

* For students showing symptoms like coughing, fever or other respiratory symptoms before or at the site of the exam, sufficient advice and evaluation from health departments, disease control agencies and medical institutions will be provided to them so as to decide whether they can continue the test or not.