New Delhi, March 18: Amid the outbreak of Coronavirus in India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday postponed all class 10th and 12th board exams scheduled from March 19-31. The exams have been postponed after March 31, However, the new exam dates have not been announced yet. Besides the CBSE, JEE mains and all university exams have also been postpioned. Maharashtra Government May Shut Down All Govt Offices For a Week Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Likely to Work With Half of its Capacity.

The development came after the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry ordered the CBSE and other educational institutions to postpone ongoing exams. The ministry had directed the CBSE and all other educational institutions to reschedule exams after March 31. Coronavirus Outbreak in India: Holidays Declared For All Educational Institutions in Andhra Pradesh Till March 31 to Contain Spread of COVID-19.

CBSE's Order:

Earlier in the day, The CBSE also issued guidelines for the rest of the board examinations. The CBSE directed each centre superintendent to ensure that candidates are seated at a distance of one meter from each other. The board also asked the centres to provide masks to candidates who cough and sneeze.

India, the total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 151 so far, while three people have also lost their lives. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with 42 positive cases and one death, followed by Kerala, where 26 confirmed cases have been reported till now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2020 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).