The Karnataka government will conduct the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) on July 30 and 31 across the state. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Higher Education Dr CN Ashwathnarayan said the state government would be taking all precautionary measures amid the COVID-19 situation in conducting the CET as it did during the SSLC examinations that were conducted a few weeks ago.
The government has also decided to postpone the PG-CET and Diploma-CET exams as the final year exams are yet to be held for those students. The PG-CET and Diploma-CET exams were to be held on August 8-9 and August 9, respectively.
The fresh dates will be decided after the final year exams of the PG and Diploma courses are held, Dr Ashwathnarayan added.
A total of 1,94,356 students will write the CET exams at 120 places in 497 centres across the state.
In Bengaluru City, 40,200 students will write CET in 83 centres. Of the total number of students, there are 30 foreign students.
In the interest of the students, a statement from the Deputy CM’s office said, the state government has taken all precautionary measures under the in-charge of respective Deputy Commissioners while the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has already been framed.
Thermal screening, wearing of masks and physical distance will be strictly followed, and the exam centres will be sanitised two days prior to the exam dates, the statement said.
Opportunity for COVID positive students
“The state government has extended an opportunity for students who are tested positive for COVID-19 as well also to write the CET. They will be made to sit in a separate room,” the Deputy CM said.
“Students who show symptoms of cough and cold will also be made to write the exam separately. Arrangement will be made for ambulances as well transport facility at all centres. We have organised buses from BMTC in Bengaluru and from KSRTC across the state,” he added.
Quarantine relaxation
The state government has extended a four-day quarantine relaxation for students and their parents or guardians from outside the state and country.
“They too have undergone all kinds of tests in view of COVID-19. Hence there is no need to panic,” Dr. Ashwathnarayan added.
The Deputy CM also said arrangements have already been made for 188 Gadinadu students, who will be taking up the CET at the centres in border areas such as Bellary, Belagavi, Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Bidar.
The Kannada Test for Gadinadu students will be held on August 1, he said.
More than 1,30,000 students have already downloaded their hall tickets for the KCET examinations.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said Tuesday that there will be no coronavirus lockdown, outside of containment zones, in Bengaluru from tomorrow (July 22), stressing that his government was working "day and night" to contain the virus.
Bengaluru has been under a week-long lockdown - from 8 PM July 14 to 5 PM July 22 - to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus; the urban district of the state capital alone has recorded over 33,000 cases so far.
Karnataka, which reported 3,648 new cases on Monday, now has 67,420 confirmed infections, of which 42,222 are active cases. 1,403 deaths have been linked to the virus.