Three Ministries Issue Emergency Notices

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Three Ministries Issue Emergency Notices

Three Chinese ministries Monday issued emergency notices to urge local departments to take effective measures to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

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Three Chinese ministries Monday issued emergency notices to urge local departments to take effective measures to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The State Development and Reform Commission, State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and State Food and Drug Administration Monday ordered the relevant local departments to ensure an adequate supply of medicines and medical equipment for the prevention and cure of SARS.

The three ministries also urged tighter supervision of the prices and quality of SARS-related medicine and other goods, and called for measures to ensure market stability.

A nationwide inspection of the medicine market will take place "soon,'' the three ministries announced at a press conference. Speculators who hoard goods and push up prices will be severely punished, the conference was told.

The ministries will also harshly crack down on the manufacture and sale of counterfeit and poor-quality commodities to protect market order.

Governments at various levels should rely mainly on economic measures and supplement these with administrative means to curb soaring prices, the ministries told the conference.

Meanwhile, the departments in charge of communications, aviation and railways will also co-operate with each other to facilitate the allocation and transportation of SARS-related medicines and other goods.

Moreover, the Ministry of Commerce also urged local commerce and distribution departments to help commercial companies collaborate and communicate with producers of grains, non-staple foods, medicines, medical equipment and sanitary products.

Shopping malls, supermarkets, food markets, restaurants, hotels, exhibition halls and other heavily frequented public places were urged to pay more attention to keeping themselves clean, disinfected and well ventilated..

While the State Council General Office said the country has decided to cancel this year's week-long May Day holiday, people can still be on holiday from May 1 to 5.

The purpose of reducing the number of days is to prevent the spread of SARS by reducing the flow of people across large areas, said a notice issued by the General Office.

The China National Tourism Administration also issued an emergency notice in which it urged travel agencies, hotels, bus and shipping companies to take preventive measures against SARS in order to ensure the health of all tourists.

The administration said it was discouraging transregional tourism and visits to SARS-affected areas. No mass collective activities would be organized, it said.

To prevent SARS from spreading to rural areas, there will be no organized trips to villages to experience how farmers live, the administration's notice said. (China Daily News)

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