The revised guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on conducting exams said that the educational institutions and examination conducting authorities need to plan out the schedule in a staggered manner so as to avoid overcrowding at examination centres on any day.

“Only those examination centres which are outside the containment zone shall be allowed to function. The staff/examinees from containment zones shall not be permitted,” said the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs).

Such examinees should be given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means or the Universities/Educational Institution/Agency may consider appropriate measures in this regard, it added.

The educational institutions should have adequate room capacity to ensure proper seating arrangement for examination.

Appropriate arrangements for personal protection gears such as face covers/masks, and other logistic such as hand sanitisers shall be made available by centres to the staff as well as students as per requirements.

There should be enough entry and exit gates for students and staff shall be ensured to avoid overcrowding and maintain physical distancing of a minimum of 6 feet, when queuing up for entry and inside the centre as far as feasible.

Contact-less processes stressed

All staff that is at high risk (older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions) shall not be deployed for invigilation/conduct of examination.

Such staff should preferably be deployed in tasks not requiring direct contact with the students.

In case of candidates availing a scribe, both the candidate and scribe must wear the masks and be made to sit with adequate physical distancing.

“Institutions may adopt contact-less processes like OR code, online forms, digital signatures for the examination,” said the guidelines.

Examination hall and other common areas shall be sanitized each time before and after examination.

In case of a suspected candidate, the ill person should be placed in isolation. The person will remain isolated, while wearing a mask/face cover till such time he/she is examined by a doctor.