Provinces rush to keep matrics safe from virus after government U-turn

Just hours before the first matric exams were scheduled to be written on Thursday morning, the basic education department changed its position on students who have Covid-19, sending provinces scrambling to put the necessary arrangements in place to accommodate those who have tested positive.

It previously said students who had Covid-19 or failed on-site temperature screening tests would not be allowed to enter examination centres and would have to wait until the middle of 2021 to write their papers...