Fourteen students in Karnataka, who sat for the SSLC exam, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, 3 July.
As per a press release from the Karnataka government, a total number of 32 SSLC students, who took exams between 25 June and 3 July, have tested positive for the coronavirus. Eighty other students are under home quarantine.
As of 3 July, more than 7.6 lakh students wrote the exam, with 14,745 absentees. The report from the government stated that 3,911 students did not attend the exams as they were in a containment zone. While a total of 863 students had not attended the exams as they were unwell.
Last week, a Class 10 student from Hassan had tested positive. The student reportedly wrote an exam on 25 June, despite having taken the coronavirus test. His positive result reportedly came shortly after he finished writing the exam.
The SSLC exams, which were earlier scheduled between 27 March and 9 April, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May, the Karnataka government announced that the exams will be held between 25 June and 3 July. The government had added that hand sanitizers will be provided to everyone in the examination hall and classrooms will be sanitized every day.
Temperature checks will also be done for everyone entering the exam hall by the health department, the government had said.
The Karnataka Education Department had also allowed students from containment zones and those with COVID-19 symptoms in the state to write their SSLC exams in a separate room from other students. Students who had gone back to their hometowns due to the lockdown were allowed to take their exams from the closest centre.
(This was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)
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