The municipal government of Beijing has made it a top priority to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and has redoubled efforts for the prevention and control of the epidemic.
The city government demands all taxi and bus drivers keep the windows of the vehicles half open in normal weather conditions to maintain good ventilation. After a day's work, they should sterilize their vehicles with disinfectants designated by the health department.
According to municipal communications committee, it is wise that bus drivers and conductors wear gauze masks, and an enterprise will be forced to suspend business operations once more than 10 percent of its vehicles are found not properly sterilized.
The municipal commission of commerce also issued an emergency notice urging the relevant departments to call off large-scale commercial activities during the coming May Day holidays.
The notice requires managers of all shopping centers, stores, markets, hotels and restaurants to maintain good ventilation in these facilities to ensure indoor air quality. In addition, greater efforts should be made to enhance the strict sterilization system.
All the public facilities, particularly goods yards, toilets and garbage cans must be sterilized timely.
The municipal education department has asked all schools, colleges and universities to reduce mass activities.
The scheduled large-scale conferences should be replaced with distribution of written materials. Mass gatherings for on-the-spot consultations on the enrollment of senior middle schools and universities should be conducted through radio, television, telephone or Internet networks, while the scheduled sports meet of Beijing students will be put off.
The city authorities require all schools and work units to put off or cancel the planned study or sightseeing tours in other places, and suggest proper readjustments in the curriculum to relieve the burdens of students and increase extra-curricular activities, so as to build up their resistance to diseases.
Presently, comprehensive sterilization work is being conducted in all communities of the city. A big number of special personnel have been appointed to take charge of the sterilization work in all the public places.
(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2003)
