Amid COVID-19 fear, medical aspirants across Odisha appear for NEET with safety protocol in place

To ensure social distancing, students were allowed to enter the examination centres in a staggered manner from 11 am. The gates, however, remained open till 1.30 pm.
Students appearing for NEET undergoing thermal screening at an examination centre in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. (Photo | Irfana, EPS)
Students appearing for NEET undergoing thermal screening at an examination centre in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. (Photo | Irfana, EPS)

BHUBANESWAR: Amid pandemic threat, thousands of medical aspirants in Odisha turned up for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) 2020, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday.

To ensure social distancing, students were allowed to enter the examination centres in a staggered manner from 11 am. The gates, however, remained open till 1.30 pm as the three-hour long exam commenced from 2 pm.

Candidates were also provided with masks and sanitisers and were scanned with thermal guns before their entry into the classrooms.

“Though we are happy with the arrangements made by the government at the exam centres, it would have been better if the exam could have been postponed in view of the pandemic,” a candidate said.

Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare department) PK Mohapatra said that the state government and respective districts had undertaken all necessary measures for conducting the competitive exam under the given circumstances this year.

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“Adequate social distancing measures have been put in place in all seven cities for the safety of students. Thermal screening of students was conducted before they entered the examination rooms,” he said.

Khurda Collector Sanat Kumar Mohanty also clarified that candidates who tested positive for the virus will be allowed to appear for the exam at a later date, to be decided by NTA, and those with high temperature or any other symptoms akin to the virus, were allowed to write the exam in an isolation room.

As many as 37,459 students from Odisha had enrolled to appear for the exam at 84 examination centres.

Bhubaneswar has the highest number of exam centres at 31 as around 15,600 candidates of the total ones enrolled, chose to write their exam there.

The district administration and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) also provided free transport to the students in need.

Cuttack and Sambalpur had 14 centres each while candidates also turned up at 11 centres in Balasore, seven centres in Berhampur, five centres in Rourkela and two centres in Angul.

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