China's transport authorities are beefing up their efforts to
prevent the spread of SARS on buses, ships, trains, planes and in
public buses and train stations, as well as airports.
The huge numbers of passengers involved make it a difficult task.
Statistics from the transport departments show that every day more
than 40 million people take buses and ships, over three million
take trains, and approximately 200,000 people travel on planes.
As
these passenger terminals and vehicles have became a major risk in
the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the
Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Railways and the
General Administration of Civil Aviation of China have all set up
SARS monitoring groups and made national arrangements for disease
prevention and control.
The transportation departments have also stepped up SARS education
among their employees.
The Ministry of Communications required all employees working on
buses or in ships or at the bus stations or ports to be well
informed about SARS and possible preventive measures, so that
suspected cases can be spotted and treated as early as
possible.
A
total of 17,000 charts and pictures about SARS have been
distributed in railway stations, especially in rural stations. All
railway directors are urged to undertake the task of inspecting
trains and promptly reporting SARS cases, said the Ministry of
Railways.
Transportation departments also urged local transport sectors to
continue normal services in case some local authorities have
suspended services to infected areas without permission.
The departments have also made arrangements to ensure the
transportation of all goods, medical and disease prevention
equipment and facilities to the SARS-hit areas.
(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)