Health Advice for Passengers using Public Transport

According to the advice from Department of Health, passengers using public transport are advised to take the following precautionary measures inside train/vehicle/ferry compartments to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading SARS:

During the Non-SARS period

1. Keep carriages clean

  • Refrain from eating or drinking.
  • Do not smoke.
  • Do not spit.
  • Do not litter. Put refuse into the rubbish bins provided at bus stops/railway platforms/concourses.
  • Use a vomit bag to hold vomitus if you feel nauseous.

2. Maintain good personal hygiene

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
  • If you develop respiratory symptoms or fever, please consult a doctor promptly.

3. Wear mask

  • Passengers using public transport are recommended to wear a mask, if:
    • they have symptoms of respiratory infection or fever; and
    • they care for patients with respiratory infection or fever.

When SARS is reported locally

Additional measures to the above

1. Wear mask

  • Passengers using public transport should wear a mask, especially:
    • during peak hours when crowded with people;
    • inside enclosed train/vehicle/vessel compartments;
    • if they have symptoms of respiratory infection or fever; and
    • if they have been in close contactnote 1 with SARS patients (they should wear a mask for 10 days from the last contact).
  • Social contactnote 2 with a SARS patient may also wear a mask.

2. Ensure good ventilation inside vehicle/vessel compartments

  • Keep windows open as appropriate and where possible.

3. Call for assistance

  • If you suspected that you have contracted SARS,
    • please call for ambulance service to the hospital;
    • if you are at a public transport station/pier, or inside a train/vehicle/vessel compartment, you may request assistance from the driver or operational staff of the public transport organization to call for ambulance service or the Marine Police to the hospital.

Note 1: Close contact means someone who cares for, lives with, or has direct contact with the respiratory secretions or bodily fluids of a person with SARS.

Note 2: Social contact means someone who has casual contact with a person suffering from SARS, i.e. someone not involved in the care of, not living with, or not having direct contact with the respiratory secretions or bodily fluids of an infected person.

Transport Department
January 2004