NEW YORK, May 14 (Xinhua) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday that the city will close three more schools in its Queens borough due to reports of many children with flu-like symptoms.

    "Though there might be some inconvenience, this is the best procedure, to close these schools for public safety and the continued safety of the families involved," Bloomberg said.

    The three Queens schools, IS 238 in Jamaica, PS 16 in Corona and IS 5 in Elmhurst, have a combined student population of more than 4,000 and will be shut down for at least a week.

    At IS 238, city health officials said four students and an assistant principal have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Since May 6, a total of 50 students have been sent home from IS 238.

    Officials said the assistant principle, now on a ventilator, is in critical condition.

    "This person may have had other health problems earlier we are trying to identify that and ascertain whether those other problems were exacerbated by the flu or whether it's totally unrelated," Bloomberg said.

    Late last month, two other schools in Queens, St. Francis Prep and PS 177, were closed following outbreaks of the A/H1N1 virus. Some students at St. Francis Prep visited Mexico and some children at PS 177 had siblings studying at nearby St. Francis.

    However, Bloomberg said there was no reason to believe that the latest round of cases was connected to those at St. Francis or PS 177.

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu