Da Nang to test 12,000 high school examinees for coronavirus

City authorities have sought permission from the Ministry of Education and Training to organize the second phase of the national high school exam between September 2 and 5. Earlier, over 870,000 high school seniors from localities not constrained by the social distancing order took the examination on August 9-10.

Le Thi Bich Thuan, director of the central city’s Department of Education and Training, said the pandemic situation in Da Nang, Vietnam’s biggest Covid-19 hotspot, has gradually been brought under control and that the official exam date depends on the ministry’s decision.

In addition to 12,000 high school seniors, around 2,000 examiners will be tested for Covid-19 to prevent its spread.

If a student is found infected with the coronavirus, he/she will be exempted from attending the exam and will exceptionally graduate. This exam is seen as a seminal event in the country, with success or failure having far-reaching impacts. The exam not only fetches learners a high-school diploma but also determines admission to universities and colleges.

Students quarantined after coming in contact with infected patients will take the exam inside their isolation facilities or places nearby under the supervision of medical staff.

All candidates attending the exam are required to wear face masks, have their body temperatures checked and use hand sanitizers.

According to statistics from the education ministry, over 26,000 high school seniors, mainly in Da Nang, Quang Nam and Dak Lak, the country’s Covid-19 hotspots, where social distancing measures were earlier imposed to stem the outbreak, have not yet attended the exam during the first phase.

Thousands of high school seniors only returned to class in March after a prolonged break since the Lunar New Year in January as schools remained closed to curb the coronavirus spread.

This year’s national high school exam thus came a month and a half late due to the impacts of Covid-19.

Since a new wave of domestic infections returned on July 25, the nation has recorded hundreds of locally transmissions, most linked to the outbreak in Da Nang where social distancing has been imposed indefinitely.

Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally now stands at 1,016, with 420 active cases. The country has reported 27 deaths due to the pandemic.