In the past, food safety issues on the mainland frequently grabbed attention for negative reasons. Fortunately, conditions have gotten better with time. This improvement can be seen through the pleasant experiences of Hong Kong residents traveling north for meals and leisure activities.
It has thus been perplexing to witness an increasing number of Hong Kong students and educators experiencing food poisoning during their study trips to mainland areas recently.
The most recent occurrence affected a minimum of five pupils from S.K.H. St Michael's Primary School located in Fortress Hill, all of whom developed acute gastroenteritis.
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The initial instance occurred when a student developed signs of the contagious illness, such as nausea, during a bus ride after concluding their visit to Xi'an in Shaanxi province earlier this month.
Later, four additional students seated close by on the same bus also exhibited symptoms. The school stated that all of the meals provided throughout the journey seemed to be uncontaminated.
Over the past several weeks, more than 100 students and educators from eight different schools participating in educational trips on the mainland have experienced severe gastrointestinal issues. In response to this increase in cases, officials established a special task force last Friday to address these outbreaks.
This step is long overdue yet essential since these trips to the mainland have grown routine for many local educational institutions. It was reported last year that more than 50,000 students along with approximately 5,500 educators would likely join mainland study tours throughout this academic term. Safety and health concerns associated with these excursions should not be dismissed.
Schools and parents naturally worry following numerous outbreak incidents. There are also doubts about the protocols maintained by the organizations overseeing these school trips.
Besides collaborating with their counterparts from the mainland to improve food safety for participants, the authorities should also look into the quality of the tours being offered.
These required school trips serve as valuable opportunities for students to enhance their comprehension of progress on the mainland. The focus is on ensuring students' safety and maintaining their trust in these excursions as components of national education.
The final thing parents, students, and teachers desire is the impression that they have no option but to join these trips voluntarily, potentially exposing themselves to risks.
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The article initially appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), which is the premier source for news coverage of China and Asia.
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