A number of strict measures have been taken to protect public
health at the ongoing 93rd
China Export Commodities
Fair, which opened Tuesday in Guangzhou, the capital of
Guangdong Province, the area hardest hit by the SARS virus.
The fair's health office carried out comprehensive sterilization to
sanitize the exhibition hall and the courtyard outside the hall
prior to the opening, said office director Chen Yaoguang on
Wednesday.
He
said his staff eradicated pests, flies, mosquitoes and rats and
cleaned toilets and sewers.
During the fair, health staff are required to maintain good
ventilation within the exhibition hall and maintain the circulation
of fresh air in rooms and auditoriums.
As
for frequently used public facilities like telephones, elevators,
water taps and door handles, the staff disinfects them at least
twice a day, in the morning and the afternoon, Chen said.
Food service employees all wear masks, and the purchase,
preparation and selling of food items are all carried out under the
strict supervision of the health supervision department of
Guangzhou, which sends three supervisors daily to inspect food
services at the fair.
Chen said the office has prepared well for emergencies, with an
ambulance on stand-by and one-time-use masks available. He said his
office will arrange at least two more comprehensive sterilizations
on April 18 and 24, respectively.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)