Additional measures to deal with SARS

Additional precautionary measures are being implemented by the government to help contain the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The measures include prohibiting people who are suffering from the disease, or those who have been exposed to the risk of SARS, from leaving Hong Kong.

"We need to reassure the international community that effective measures are in place to prevent the spread of SARS across the borders," a government spokesman said today (April 16).

"Members of the public have also demanded the government to take swift and effective measures to contain the spread of the disease."

The new health regulations, which take effect from tomorrow (Thursday), seek to confer on health officers the power to prevent people at-risk from leaving Hong Kong. They also empower any person authorised by the Director of Health to take the body temperature of people arriving in, or leaving, Hong Kong.

"Although we are seeking additional powers under the Regulations to deal with the severe acute respiratory syndrome, we will ensure, as usual, that the power given will be exercised sensibly and responsibly when the situation warrants," the spokesman said.

The Prevention of the Spread of Infectious Diseases Regulations at present only prohibits people subject to detention from leaving Hong Kong.

The government also announced today that schools would begin a phased resumption of classes, which have been suspended since the end of last month because of the SARS outbreak.

From Tuesday (April 22), secondary three level and above in secondary schools will resume classes. Other levels of secondary schools, primary and special schools, and kindergartens will continue to suspend classes for one week and resumption is tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 28.

The Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, said he had kept a close eye on the development of SARS and, after taking everything into consideration, had decided to implement an orderly class resumption in phases.

"For kindergartens whose students are in their early childhood, there should be no problems for them to resume classes later. Parents and the schools can deal with the matter flexibly," he said.

"One of the main reasons for taking forward a blanket class suspension earlier, as I stressed in my previous announcement, is to alleviate parents' anxiety. Class suspension itself will not stop the spread of SARS. To prevent infection, personal and environmental hygiene is of paramount importance," Professor Li said.

All schools should make proper preparation for class resumption and the government would make every effort to support them.

Professor Li said there was a need for close co-operation among schools, students and parents to make school premises a safe place. The government would demand that schools strictly observed a series of preventive measures against the occurrence of SARS on their premises.

These included parents making sure their children were feeling well before sending them to school and checking their body temperature daily; staff members and students who had close contact with a confirmed SARS patient must undergo home confinement for 10 days; and schools should suspend classes for 10 days once a student or staff member was confirmed to have contracted the disease.

The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) will continue to closely monitor the development of SARS and will decide and announce next week the date of class resumption for junior levels of secondary schools, primary and special schools, and kindergartens.

Adult education courses provided by EMB will resume on April 22.

End/Wednesday, April 16, 2003