EDMONTON -- Edmonton Public Schools says it has made the "difficult decision" to cancel all school field trips to China for the remainder of the year as the threat of coronavirus continues to grow.
A day earlier, EPSB said five field trips to China in March had not been cancelled despite the outbreak. Then in a statement released Thursday morning, the board said it decided to cancel all trips late Wednesday afternoon.
The coronavirus has killed at least 170 people and prompted Canadian travel advisories.
"This decision was made in light of the Government of Canada’s recent travel advisory recommending that Canadians 'avoid non-essential travel to China,'" EPSB said in a statement. "Parents have been contacted by their school to inform them of this change. In total, five field trips have been cancelled as a result of this decision."
Students were scheduled to visit Beijin, Shanghai, Jinan, Qingdao, Tai'an and Chengdu, EPSB said.
"Student and staff safety are paramount and must be at the root of all our decisions," the board said.
Wuhan, the city in the province of Hubei where the virus originated, is currently shut down as authorities try to contain the virus.
On Tuesday, the Alberta government reiterated there are "no probable, no confirmed cases" of the coronavirus in the province.
EPSB said more information would be shared with affected students' families by their school's principal.
