No plan to declare Hong Kong an infected area

There are no plans to declare Hong Kong as an infected area following the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the Director of Health, Dr Margaret Chan, said today (April 1).

"I would like to take this opportunity, through you [the media], to inform the people of Hong Kong categorically that we have no plan and there is no need for us to declare Hong Kong as an infected area," Dr Chan said.

"Our airport and all our external transport with other parts of the world will continue as usual. Everything is running as scheduled and normally."

Dr Chan's comments were made following media enquiries on the subject.

Meanwhile, residents of one block of Amoy Gardens housing estate, which was quarantined yesterday because of a large outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, have been moved to temporary accommodation at holiday camps in Sai Kung and Lei Yue Mun.

The move is another step in the government's efforts to tackle the disease.

The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr E K Yeoh, said the Department of Health had worked non-stop over the past few days to investigate the cause of the outbreak particularly in the residential block.

"At this stage we decided that we would need to conduct an in-depth investigation into the facilities and services of the entire building," he said.

"Our investigation will include the water supply, sewage pipes and other communal facilities."

Dr Yeoh said it was necessary to evacuate the residents from their premises in order to protect them while investigative work was carried out.

The residents would still have to be isolated for 10 days at their temporary accommodation until the expiry of the Isolation Order.

Dr Yeoh said they would be offered the existing Ribavirin/steroid treatment which was producing a very good response in the majority of cases.

"Clinicians expect 95 per cent of patients to make a complete recovery if they are treated early, have no pre-existing illness and are not very old," he said.

Ends/Tuesday, April 1, 2003