That came after the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority set up a center at the community isolation facility for students to sit for Diploma of Secondary Education exams this year.

Cindy Chiu See-wan, senior manager of the school examinations and assessment division, said yesterday that of the 44 examinees at Penny's Bay, 18 of them were in quarantine and 26 were infected cases.

"The HKEAA set up about 50 special exam rooms with 47 invigilators," Chiu said.

The special exam center had two levels, with students living on the upper level and taking the exams on the lower floor.

She also said that HKEAA installed the video camera surveillance system in the special exam rooms this year to ensure invigilators could see the students' condition and provide timely assistance when necessary.

Ho Ka-hung, center supervisor, said it was the first time students infected by Covid-19 were allowed to take the DSE exam.

"There was no video surveillance last year since there were only a few infections," Ho said.

"The invigilators had to wear protective clothing and patrol outside the exam rooms under the sun.

"It was good that we could sit in the monitoring room to watch the live feeds, which also reduced the risk of infection due to less direct contact with candidates."

Enoch Wong Chi-lok, an invigilator, said he and his colleagues would also chat with students to alleviate their stress, and paid special attention to the physical and mental conditions of the students during the exam through the video camera.

"We would immediately go to help if we found that the students were facing problems," Wong said.

He also said trolleys with food were delivered to students after their exams at the center.