The Beijing educational authority has made special recommendations relating to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) prevention to the city's students who are scheduled to take the university entrance examination from June 7-8.
The local educational department has advised exam participants to avoid contact with strangers, avoid crowded places and avoid eating out both before and during the exams. The students have also been advised to shun public transportation in favor of bicycles.
Meanwhile, the department has also requested that students pay more attention to their dietetic hygiene and try to find the proper balance between study and rest to avoid overexertion and stress.
To guarantee the health and safety of students and teachers, students have also been required to check their temperatures since May 24 and record the results honestly on their heath cards. Any fraudulent reporters of temperatures will be deemed ineligible to take the exams, the department said.
Neither suspect nor probable SARS patients will be allowed to take part in the nationwide examination, according to the department.
On May 22, 80,000 high school seniors returned to school in Beijing to prepare for the college entrance examination after a mandatory month-long shutdown to stem the spread of SARS.
Beijing has also taken preventive measures, such as disinfecting classrooms and requiring the use of masks to ensure that the college entrance exams go ahead as scheduled.
(People’s Daily May 28, 2003)
