Anti-virus measures for university entrance exams

Oct 16, 2020 | News On Japan

Oct 16, 2020 (NHK) - An expert panel has basically approved anti-infection measures to be taken for next year's standardized university entrance exams in Japan, which would take place amid the pandemic.

The measures will allow "close contact" to an infected person to take the test under conditions.

Members of the government's coronavirus subcommittee met on Thursday to discuss anti-virus measures proposed by the education ministry for the university entrance exams slated for January.

Under the approved measures, people who were found to have close contact with a virus-carrier will be allowed to take the exams even during a 14 day monitoring period, if they show no symptoms on the test day.

Those who have a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher will be asked to consider taking substitute tests on other dates.

The organizer of the test will secure a physical distance of about one meter between examinees at the venues.

The panel members recommended that asymptomatic test-takers who had close contact with infected people use separate paths from others at each venue.

The minister in charge of the coronavirus response, Nishimura Yasutoshi, said that he wants the education ministry to make thorough preparations based on every possible scenario.

The meeting also approved a plan to conduct an experiment on anti-infection measures at a baseball stadium in Yokohama City for three days from October 30.

The experiment is designed to see how preventive measures will work when the number of spectators exceeds the limit currently set by the government.

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