DSE Exams Could Go Ahead If Covid-19 Cases Stay Low

Education Secretary Kevin Yeung said on Friday that it was "highly likely" that the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) public exams would go ahead on April 24 as planned, if Hong Kong continued to see a drop in new coronavirus infections.

The SAR recorded 13 new cases on Thursday, the lowest number of daily cases in nearly three weeks. It also extended a run of several days, when a relatively low number of known infections were reported.

"If the gradual downward trend in recent days continue, unless there's a major change in the epidemic or that there are incidents that greatly increase the risks, it's highly likely the exams can go ahead on the 24th of this month," Yeung said.

But the education minister said on a radio programme that the fate of the DSE exams still depends on how the outbreak unfolds.

Yeung said authorities have already looked into various arrangements to prevent the spread of the virus during the exam period, such as what to do during lunch breaks.

One of four infectious disease advisers to the government, professor David Hui of the Chinese University, also said the exams could go ahead if two conditions were met.

They are a single-digit increase in locally-transmitted cases every day and no cases with an unknown source of infection.