Schools take action against Sars

Schools take action against Sars

Sars has infected thousands of people

Thousands of children from China who are studying in Britain are to be checked twice a day for the Sars illness.

About 7,000 pupils from China studying at independent schools will be checked when they return from the Easter holidays, together with children from other high-risk areas such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

Guidelines issued to independent schools recommend that those arriving back from areas affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome should be monitored for symptoms for 10 days.

Some schools, including Eton, have gone further and have told pupils from affected areas they cannot return to school if they have been in high-risk areas within 10 days before the start of term.

In a letter sent to parents last week, Eton headmaster Tony Little wrote: "On the advice of our school doctor, who has consulted the Public Health Laboratory Service, we cannot accept boys back into their boarding houses who have visited Hong Kong, Singapore or Guangdong province, China, within the previous 10 days.

"This decision will cause inconvenience to some families, for which I apologise, but it is made in the best interests of all our boys.

"This is a changing situation which we will continue to monitor."

Children who are not being allowed back to school are being sent to activity centres on the Isle of Wight and in Dorset for 10 days.

More than 150 pupils who arrived in Britain from Hong Kong on Thursday were being taken to the centres.

Discriminatory

Adrian Underwood, national director of the Boarding School Association (BSA), said it was a "rotten situation" and the timing was atrocious, but the outbreak had to be managed.

"Easter's late and some of the exams are starting in the second week of May and I feel utter sympathy for those involved.

"But the medical advice is that there is no reason why pupils from infected areas cannot return to school as long as they are carefully monitored."

The BSA has told schools to take the action they deem necessary in "unprecedented and volatile circumstances" to safeguard the interests of all their pupils.

The action has been condemned as discriminatory by the authorities in Hong Kong.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said it was "quite concerned" about the restrictions adopted by schools such as Eton which he said would cause "undue stress" to both students and parents.

"While we appreciate the need for caution and protection, this discriminatory action will serve to stigmatise our students at schools, which is most undesirable from an educational point of view," he said.

Monitored

Britain's Department for Education and Skills has advised local councils on precautions schools should take.

The recommendations are that students should not return to school if they develop any Sars-related symptoms, and that any student who has been in contact with someone who has the illness should be monitored or 10 days.

The symptoms include high fever and sore throat, dry cough or breathing difficulties.

The World Health Organisation has advised port health authorities that all international travellers leaving affected areas should be screened before departure.