NOT everyone wanted to go on the 10-day study trip to New York. Four people pulled out after the H1N1 virus broke out in the city on April 23.

In the end, a group of 20 Singapore Management University (SMU) business students and an associate professor flew up to the Big Apple for the New York Business Study Mission.

Precautions were taken N95 masks and personal thermometers were issued to those who went ahead with the trip. They were told to take their temperature daily, buy hand sanitisers and use the masks at their own discretion. While there is no ban on travel, the Health Ministry has advised against non-essential travel to affected areas, such as the United States, Mexico and Canada. ... more

The mission - in its fifth consecutive year - is a popular 13-week module that includes visits to the city being studied, as well as top companies like Google.

Besides New York, the missions have also gone to countries like China, India, Middle East and Europe. Students have to write an essay on their return.

Among the original group of 25 bound for New York was a teaching assistant who pulled out at the last minute because she was afraid of contracting the virus.

During the trip, from May 15 to 24, the number of cases in New York went up from 178 to 280, particularly in the borough of Queens.

The university said in a statement last night that it went ahead after the Ministry of Health lowered the alert level from orange to yellow on May 11.

The flu also appeared to be mild and seemed to be contained, in New York, within Queens. 'This area was not part of their itinerary, neither did the students intend to visit Queens,' the statement added.

Those who did not feel comfortable with the plan had the option of pulling out with a full refund of their plane tickets, the university also said. Their grades would be adjusted accordingly.