Baccalaureate exam starts in Romania with special COVID-19 safety precautions

The first session of the Baccalaureate national exam started on Monday, June 22, in Romania, for more than 155,000 high school graduates. And, similar to the National Evaluation exam organized last week for the eighth-graders in the country, the authorities have prepared special measures for the Baccalaureate, to prevent and control the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

Around 155,500 students have enrolled in the June-July 2020 session of the Baccalaureate, and more than 17,000 of them are from Bucharest, the Education Ministry announced. The exam started on Monday with the written test in Romanian Language and Literature.

The Baccalaureate is held in 1,095 exam centers. The first results will be announced on June 30, while the final results will be made public on July 5.

To prevent infections with the new coronavirus, the Romanian authorities have prepared a set of safety rules for the students taking the Baccalaureate. Thus, medical teams present at the entrance to the exam center/education unit perform the epidemiological triage. For example, they measure the body temperature of students, teachers, and non-teaching staff. The students with a body temperature of over 37.3 degrees Celsius will not be allowed to enter the exam center.

There will be a special session for the high school graduates who could not participate in the exam.

“Students in isolation/confirmed positive with the new coronavirus will take the Baccalaureate exam in the special session, starting July 6. Only graduates who have had a temperature above the maximum allowed, have been in isolation, quarantine, have chronic conditions that may increase the receptivity or severity of the disease in the context of the pandemic, or are hospitalized when the first stage of the national exam is held will participate in this session,” the Education Ministry said.

The authorities have also equipped the examination centers with protective equipment and materials, such as disinfectant mats, protective masks, and hand sanitizers. The centers will be disinfected regularly, and the candidates will keep a two-meter distance from each other during the exam.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)