Hong Kong schools urged to avoid high-risk foods on study trips to mainland China
Education authorities make the call following another outbreak of gastroenteritis among primary school pupils on mainland exchange tour
Hong Kong education authorities have urged schools to stop providing higher-risk foods after more than 100 pupils and teachers who joined study tours to mainland China fell ill with acute gastroenteritis.
The call was made after health authorities on Tuesday evening reported another gastroenteritis outbreak among primary school pupils on a trip across the border.
“Schools should avoid providing higher-risk food such as raw and cold food, siu mei and shellfish seafood, when organising student exchange activities on the mainland,” a notice on an online platform said.
The notice on the “Passing on the Torch” platform for government-run education exchange programmes also said the Education Bureau had asked that contractors for the trips stop supplying those food items.
Over the past few weeks, more than 100 students and teachers from nine schools on various study tours to the mainland have reported suffering from symptoms of acute gastroenteritis.
Last Friday, the government set up a task force in response to the surge in cases, promising to communicate closely with various mainland departments and units, and optimise tour arrangements.