Education chief Michael Suen Ming- yeung is today expected to announce the reopening of all schools on Monday, ending the extra-long Easter holiday for younger students.

Primary and special schools, nurseries and kindergartens were shut on March 13 following a flu outbreak and the death of three children from unknown causes.

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok and senior officials from the Department of Health and the Education Bureau met yesterday to discuss the reopening.

An announcement was expected after the meeting but an official said it was decided to wait until today to allow medical authorities another day to study hospital admissions.

“The most important thing now is that flu viruses have been found not to be especially cruel. They are just normal viruses,” Suen said.

He said the bureau is in constant contact with schools and parents should have no fears about allowing their children return to lessons.

The Centre for Health Protection has recorded no significant upward or downward trend in infections over the past few weeks with the average remaining at 76 cases per 1,000 consultations at private doctors.

The center said there were no hospital admissions yesterday of children suffering from serious flu complications and no new influenza outbreak had been reported in the past 24 hours.

The vice-president of Hong Kong University’s infection research center, Ho Pak-leung, said there is no serious danger to children as data has shown no mutation of the flu virus.

Hong Kong Education Policy Concern Organization chairman Mervyn Cheung Man-ping said an early announcement of the reopening would help parents and warned the Education Bureau it faced a firestorm of criticism if there is a repeat of the hasty manner in which it shut schools earlier for the Easter break.

Cheung also urged the bureau to brief schools on the latest sanitary policies and to provide them with abundant supplies of items such as facial masks and sanitizers. He also expects the bureau to shorten the summer break since schools are on course for the minimum number of prescribed school days this year.

Source: The Standard, Hong Kong
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