China Cancels Week-long May Day Holidays to Curb SARS

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, April 20, 2003

China Cancels Week-long May Day Holidays to Curb SARS

China's State Council has decided to cancel the week-long May Day holidays to prevent the possible spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a senior official said in Beijing on Sunday.

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China's State Council has decided to cancel the week-long May Day holidays to prevent the possible spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a senior official said in Beijing on Sunday.

Gao Qiang, executive vice-minister of health, said at a press conference that although the move may cause great losses to the country's tourism industry the Chinese Government is determined to place its people's health first.

Local travel is still encouraged although the Chinese government decided to cancel the week-long May Day holidays, the senior health ministry official said.

The decision is aimed to discourage large-scale traveling nationwide, and does not mean an end to tourism, Executive Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang said.

The canceling of long holidays is to prevent the possible spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) although the move may cause great losses to the country's tourism industry, he said earlier at the press conference.

He said it is necessary to control the flow of nationwide traveling as SARS still exists in some parts of China.

"But we surely do not hope to keep everyone at home," he said. "Local traveling would be harmless."

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