Shanghai plans to allocate more private space in public
facilities to allow mothers to breastfeed their babies more
conveniently.
The Shanghai Municipal Construction and Communications
Commission said it plans to set up private rooms for breastfeeding
mothers in public facilities. These include the city's railway
stations, airports, subway stations, long-distance bus stations,
public transportation terminals, parks, hospitals, hotels, and
restaurants.
New public facilities will allocate special areas for
breastfeeding and diaper changing in advance in their design.
Public facilities already in existence will be slightly readjusted
to create such rooms.
In the next two or three years, Shanghai will have many such
rooms existent in public spaces to facilitate breastfeeding
mothers.
Shanghai has previously set up some private waiting rooms at one
of its railway stations, but not many mothers use them.
Experts say the addition of private space for mothers to
breastfeed their children is a sign of a more accommodating
society, but citizens apparently must be guided to utilize the
improved facilities.
(CRI April 14, 2007)