Opinion | Government should warn against travel to flu-stricken mainland China areas

A video clip has been circulating online recently, showing a mainland tourist trying to avoid paying to travel on the MTR. When caught, the tourist tried to wangle his way out by requesting to see the "leader" at the station. The MTR employee responded by saying there was no so-called leader but proper rules and systems in Hong Kong. His answer left the mainlander speechless.

The rules and systems of which the employee spoke are built on core values respected and cherished by most Hongkongers. Unfortunately, judging from the way the government has been handling the issue of travel alerts recently, we seem to have become a city that is more controlled by leaders than guided by a proper system.

A proper travel warning system should cover all places outside Hong Kong that are frequently visited by Hongkongers and these areas should include popular destinations like Taiwan, Macau and mainland cities. Unfortunately, the current system excludes Taiwan, Macau and the mainland.

At present, despite the emergence of the deadly H7N9 bird flu virus in some cities in eastern China, our Security Bureau has refused to issue any travel warning, saying it doesn't have the mandate to do so.

This exclusion has given many travel agents the excuse not to refund customers who wish to change their plan to travel to the affected areas, forcing many travellers to stick with their itinerary. Anyone who falls sick while abroad could bring the virus back to Hong Kong and spread it in our community. Hence, this is not only an unscrupulous business practice, but also immoral.

It is the responsibility of our government to warn locals against travelling to affected places on the mainland. The current system that doesn't include the mainland in its purview is flawed. The government must plug this loophole as soon as possible.