Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health York Chow on Thursday called on the community, particularly schools, to guard against A/H1N1 flu to avoid outbreaks.

Chow on Thursday met with school representatives who assured him they are following guidelines and have made the preparations required to avoid flu outbreaks. He said schools will get sufficient time to prepare before the government announces any closure of kindergartens and primary schools should an outbreak occur.

Chow urged everyone in the community to understand the risks and prepare for any possible pandemic.

A special subsidy has been approved to help schools stock up on cleaning provisions.

He advised schools to ensure precautions for study tours and called on all people have medical insurance before they travel.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2009)