Beijing Official Denies Rumor of Martial Law

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 26, 2003

Beijing Official Denies Rumor of Martial Law

A Beijing municipal official Friday denied rumors that martial law would be enforced in the city to control the spread of the SARS disease.

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Beijing Press Conference on SARS

A Beijing municipal official Friday denied rumors that martial law would be enforced in the city to control the spread of the SARS disease.

The government will not close expressways and the airport for this purpose, said Cai Fuchao, a senior publicity office, at a press conference.

The Beijing municipal government has isolated some areas where patients of SARS have been spotted, in a bid to curb the spread of the disease and protect the 13 million people in Beijing, he said.

Beijing has ample supply of goods

Beijing has ample supplies of goods and a panic buying spree will not last long in the city, said Cai.

Recently, a number of Beijing residents rushed to stores to buy foodstuffs, sanitation goods and other daily-use necessities, to which the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and municipal government attached great importance.

Beijing has set up its own production base of non-staple food, and goods supplies are being transported to Beijing from around China, Cai said, noting that "the supply of goods does not pose any slight problem."

SARS Patients Transferred for Better treatment

The transfer of SARS patients to designated hospitals is aimed to give them still better treatment instead of covering up the SARS situation, said Cai.

The director of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), cited the hearsay that patients were transferred to cover up the true situation of SARS as "very irresponsible".

On Wednesday night, 130 SARS patients were moved from the People's Hospital, the Beijing Medical University and No. 3 Hospital affiliated with the medical university, to the hospitals designated for treatment, where special medical experts teams have been set up.

Meanwhile, according to Guo Jiyong, deputy director of the its health bureau, Beijing municipality has 50 ambulances at hand for the transfer of SARS patients.

No area with mass infection in Beijing

There has been no living area with mass infections of SARS in Beijing, said the senior municipal publicity official.

No SARS cases have been spotted in local kindergartens, Cai said, and there have been "very, very few" children infected in Beijing.

The first child "patient" who was once referred to as the first SARS case in a certain local primary schools has been ruled out after a period of close observation and meticulous diagnosis, he added.

In term of age groups, most SARS patients in the city of Beijing are middle-aged people, and the elderly only cover a tiny part of the whole number of SARS patients, Cai said.

Beijing takes measures to ensure accurate reporting of SARS statistics

The Beijing municipal government has taken a series of measures to ensure the accurate reporting of SARS statistics in the city. "Not even one case should be missed," according to Cai.

Reports of SARS cases in each district and county in Beijing should be signed by party secretaries and directors before being delivered to the municipal government, and the municipal government report should be signed by Liu Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC, and Wang Qishan, acting mayor of Beijing, before being handed over to the State Council, Cai said.

Anyone who underreports or covers up SARS figures will be held responsible or even punished, according to Cai.

A special team has been set up to supervise SARS information reports, he said, adding that over 150 supervisors will enter the 147 hospitals in Beijing to coordinate and inspect SARS treatment and statistics.

A SARS databank has also been developed, and each hospital willdesignate one person to report SARS cases.

In addition, the government has invited a number of senior medical experts to help guide SARS investigations and to enhance the training of 2,500 patrolling investigators, Cai said.

People's lives more important than economic growth

Despite the adverse effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on Beijing's economy, people's health and lives have a higher priority on the government's agenda, said the Beijing municipal official.

Cai Fuchao said that, although the unforeseen epidemic is having a negative impact on the city's economic growth, "we have to face reality in an honest manner."

He indicated that economic growth is less important than the health and lives of the people.

Cai said mankind is the most precious of all creatures, and theprotection of human lives is paramount.

"What we are focusing on now is fighting SARS and preserving people's health," Cai said, adding that the municipal government has not considered revising its economic growth indices.

The government has coordinated all tasks, including issues concerning economic development, and will make every effort to keep economic losses from SARS to a minimum, Cai said.

Beijing to Hold Twice-weekly Press Conferences on SARS

The Beijing municipal government will hold a special press conference on SARS each Tuesday and Friday beginning April 25.

Beijing officials will brief the media on the latest developments on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the Chinese capital and answer their questions.

As of 8:00 p.m. on April 23, Beijing had reported a total of 774 SARS cases, of which 64 were discharged from hospital upon recovery and 39 had died.

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