Students in Hong Kong take final secondary school exams as coronavirus subsides

Thousands of Hong Kong students were among the first in the world to take their final secondary school exams on Friday (April 24), all wearing face masks and having their temperatures checked after being stuck at home for months due to the coronavirus.

The Diploma of Secondary Education examination was given the go-ahead after a four-week delay, as the number of new coronavirus cases has fallen, though social distancing measures remain in place throughout the Chinese-ruled city.

"Although it's relatively dangerous to start the examination for us candidates at this moment, the (exams) might have been cancelled altogether unless they were held now," 19-year-old Emily Chui said before going into the exam hall at the Clementi Secondary School on Hong Kong island.


 Hong Kong's schools have been shut since late January.

The city reported two more coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking its total to 1,036.