Coronavirus (COVID 19)

 
What is coronavirus (COVID-19)?What are the signs and symptoms and how does it spread?

COVID-19 symptoms include:

• Cough: a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• High temperature: this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, or you have measured your temperature and recorded a high result (typically above 38°C is considered a fever)
• Unexplained loss of taste or smell: a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
• Shortness of breath
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Diarrhoea
• Headache

How does it spread?

• Coronavirus is primarily spread by small droplets that are expelled from the nose and mouth when someone that is infected coughs, sneezes or speaks
• This can then be breathed in by others or picked up from surfaces and transferred from your hand to your eyes, nose or mouth if you touch them
• COVID-19 doesn’t transmit through skin contact on your hand, but rather when bacteria enters your system through mucous membranes on your body or via respiratory droplets in close proximity
• Research suggests that you can be infectious up to a week before any symptoms show. Although showing these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have contracted the virus, you should follow the guidance and self-isolate as soon as you show symptoms. It is also a good idea to let others you may have been in contact with know, as they may also need to self-isolate.

 Practical and Theory Test

Due to the lockdown, there is now a long waiting list for both Practical and Theory Test. The DVSA have released the statement below:

DVSA Chief Executive Gareth Llewellyn said: 

“It has been vital that lessons and tests only resume when safe to do so and in line with the government’s advice. I am pleased to announce the restart of lessons and theory tests in England from 4 July and car practical tests will restart from 22 July.

“Tests for critical workers have continued during the lockdown and I would like to thank all those instructors and examiners who have continued to work to help deliver tests for those who have done so much to help us during this terrible pandemic.” 

DVSA has continued to test critical workers during the lockdown and driving lessons have continued for these workers. 

The phased restart to testing: 

• 4 July – driving and riding lessons and Compulsory Basic Training to restart (England only)
• 4 July – theory test restarts for all candidates – including Approved Driving Instructor  part 1 tests (England only)
• 6 July – expanding critical worker driving tests to more applicants (Great Britain)
• 6 July – trainer booker service for practical driving tests reopens to motorcycle trainers and vocational instructors(Trainers will only be able to book tests at tests centres in England)
• 13 July – motorcycle and vocational tests start (England only

New candidates will be able to book driving tests once DVSA has carried out the tests reserved for critical workers and everyone with a suspended test has had the opportunity to choose a new time and date. DVSA will announce when the system opens to book tests in due course. 

DVSA is contacting anyone who has a scheduled test to let them know what will happen next. DVSA will then email them at a later date to invite them to book a test at a time and location that is convenient for them. Learners should talk to their instructors and arrange refresher lessons so they can practice the skills they need to prepare for their test.

Safety measures will be put in place to protect learners and examiners from COVID-19 and information on how to implement these measures will be published in due course.

With all the above in mind, please be aware that to date there has been no confirmation of any extension to theory tests that are due to expire over the next few months.  We strongly recommend that if your theory test is due to expire within the next few months, you book another date before the expiry, DVSA will allow you to do this.  If it is not required then you can ask for a refund.  This will cut down your waiting time which could delay your practical test.  Anybody who has not yet booked a theory test we would strongly recommend that you book one as soon as possible to get a date in the diary.

With the practical test, as mentioned above, the priorities will go to Key Workers and any tests that were cancelled during the lockdown.  This means that anybody who had not booked a practical test may have a long wait until dates are available.

 
NEW - Driving Test Operating Procedures for Examiners (updated 1/7/2020)

Extra time will be made for each test
To allow the examiner to take all additional precautions as outlined in this standard operating procedure, extra time will be made for each test.

Taking the driving test
Examiners must wear suitable clothing providing as much covering as reasonable. Short sleeved shirts can be worn.

You should:

• wash your hands and put a face covering on before leaving the office.
• put the face covering on ensuring you cover your mouth and nose, making sure there are no gaps between your face and the covering
• avoid touching the covering while using it; if you do either wash your hands with soap and water, if at the test centre, or use hand sanitiser whilst on test
• wear gloves as soon as your face covering is fitted and for the duration of the test
• avoid touching your face with your hands
• You may choose to wear gloves. If you do, you should wear them as soon as your face covering is fitted and for the duration of the test.

Meeting the candidate
Waiting rooms will remain closed until further notice, candidates will not be able to use the facilities at the test centre.

When leaving the building the door should be locked to prevent candidates / members of the public entering the building. Where this is not possible a local arrangement should be agreed to ensure the building is secure.

Meeting and greeting will now take place in the car park. For DTCs without car parks, the meet and greet will take place at the usual parking area the candidates use.

Face coverings
Candidates must wear a face covering, unless there are exceptional circumstances, which must have been pre-notified and agreed. If the candidate does not have a face covering the examiner can provide one, it must be worn for the duration of the test. The face covering
must be retained by the candidate and not left on site.

Where a candidate arrives for test wearing a face covering, you may need to ask the candidate to temporarily remove their face covering so their identity can be confirmed.

Should the candidate be wearing a niqab (full face veil worn for religious purposes), you should be sensitive in ensuring the privacy of the candidate when carrying out the identity check. You must consider the candidates wishes of their face not being seen by others
during the identity check. This may mean just asking the candidate to position with their back towards others present before removing their niqab.

In some circumstances, it may be necessary to wait for other candidates to leave the car park before the identity can be checked.

Where candidates present for test wearing glasses and a face covering, you should make them aware of the increased possibility of glasses/eye protection fogging up. Where issues arise with this on test, offer advice and guidance to help resolve the problem. If the issues continue to interfere with the safety of the test, terminate/stop the test on safety grounds.

Social distancing measures
You must politely remind the accompanying driver of the requirement for social distancing.

Do not shake the candidate’s hand.

You must not let the candidate touch the iPad, stylus or paper DL25.

Provide the candidate with an insurance and residency declaration form (Word) and a pen if they don’t have their own. The candidate must keep this form.

Ask the candidate to:

• read the insurance and residency declaration form
• tick the boxes if they agree with the statements
• sign it
• Without handling the licence, you must then compare their signature on the form to the one their licence.

ADI’s / accompanying drivers will not be able to accompany the test.

The examiner should explain to the candidate that a debrief will be offered at the end of the test. In order to maintain social distancing, the ADI/accompanying driver will not be invited to listen in unless social distancing can be maintained. Cleaning of cars presented for test

You must be satisfied the vehicle has been recently cleaned.

Before entering the car, you may choose to fit a disposable seat cover to your seat.

Use an anti-viral wipe to clean:

• the passenger door handles inside and outside
• the dashboard in the examiner area
• any other touch points
  Dispose of the wipe in line with the PPE disposal guidance, detailed below.

Any seat covers and wipes used must be taken away and disposed of with PPE waste at the end of the test.

Clear symptoms

If the candidate comes to the test with clear symptoms the test must not go ahead.

If the candidate becomes unwell or starts to cough continuously during the test, the test must be stopped.

You must make sure the test vehicle is well ventilated. This may mean asking the candidate to open their window, as well as your window being opened at the start of the test. Make a judgement to ensure the vehicle is adequately ventilated.

Exception to conducting a test as normal

Curtailing tests when failed

Where a candidate fails the test either by committing a serious or dangerous fault or by making 16 driving faults, direct the candidate back to the test centre taking the most convenient route and do not carry out any additional test requirements.

Any faults identified on the route back to the test centre should continue to be assessed and recorded in the usual way. In many cases it’s likely this will mean arriving back at the test centre having not fully completed the test. In this case, the test will be terminated in the interest of public safety at the test centre and completed using activity code 4.

These should not be recorded on the terminated test log unless the drive was terminated and stopped on the road in the interest of public safety.

Debrief

Do not alert the candidate to the outcome of the test until arriving back at the test centre.

During the debrief explain to the candidate that the test has been curtailed following the point at which the test had been failed, and that continuing the test would have made no difference to the outcome.