Japanese Student Refused To Wear Face Mask Properly Gets Disqualified At University Exams

• A 49-year-old man was not permitted to take a university entrance exam in Japan.
• Apparently, the man wore his face mask improperly and refused to cover his nose.
• He eventually locked himself in the toilet after being asked to leave, which led to him getting arrested.

A male student scheduled to take a standardized university entrance exam in Japan has been disqualified after he refused to cover his nose with his face mask. According to reports, he was asked to comply with the protocol intended to prevent Covid-19 transmission.

Despite being warned six times, he still chose to ignore the simple instruction. He eventually suffered the consequences and was asked to leave. The incident happened last January 16, Saturday, at a Tokyo test center.

All test-takers were required to wear their masks properly but the unnamed 49-year-old man defied the rules.

An official from the National Center for University Entrance Examinations later explained:

“We made our decision comprehensively because the test-taker, who was not even coughing, continued not to cover the nose intentionally.

“It is not misconduct to occasionally uncover noses when participants feel difficulty in breathing. The test-taker was disqualified for repeatedly refusing to follow the instructions.”

In a media conference, education minister Koichi Hagiuda said the disqualification is an “appropriate response” for the man’s behavior.

“I heard that it was a situation that could not be overlooked as he was psychologically disturbing other examinees,” shared Hagiuda.

The man’s story didn’t even end there as he eventually got arrested by authorities after he decided to lock himself in the restroom for three hours. A police officer had to climb the cubicle wall to reach him.

Strict coronavirus measures were implemented at the 681 test venues across Japan. The entrance exams attracted an overall total of 535,245 applicants over the weekend, reports said.