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UK Diplomat Stresses on Safety to Visit Britain
British Consul-General Sir James Hodge said here Tuesday that it is safe to travel to Britain despite the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly infectious among the livestock and some wild animals.
"There is some misconception about the country and the disease, " Hodge, the consul-general in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said at a press conference.
The advice of the UK government on stopping the spread of the disease should not be taken as a ban to visit the country, he explained.
The advice includes not to go near cattle, sheep, pigs or deer, not to go on farmland which has been or is being used by livestock, not to leave any waste food in open countryside or on farmland and not to use footpaths that are closed.
Hodge emphasized that there is no significant risk to human health from the disease and it has not caused food shortages, reduction of consumer choices and significant price rises in Britain.
The vast majority of the tourist attractions in Britain remain open and can be safely visited and there is no restriction on people leaving the United Kingdom, he continued.
Hodge said the disease has done pretty minimal effect on the UK economy, saying that "Britain has slaughtered about half a million animals, which account for only one percent of all the country's cattle, sheep and pigs."
He said that the British tourism focuses on cities and the surrounding area, so there is no reason for people to put off their planned stay in places like London, Edinburgh, York and Cambridge.
He admitted that tourism, which is a very important industry of Britain, has been affected because of the disease.
Tourist can learn the effect of the disease at www.visitbritain. com, the website of the British Tourist Authority, Hodge said.
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