Beijing sets up alert system against SARS ( 2003-09-12 09:56) (Xinhua) Beijing issued regulations on
Thursday for a three-level emergency alert to prevent the reappearance of severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
When SARS cases are found in neighboring areas of Beijing and the capital
city reports one case, the city will institute the third-level alert and Ditan
Hospital, a hospital for epidemic diseases, would be put into use. Schools would
be required to take students' temperatures every day and school access would be
strictly controlled.
The alert will be raised to the second level when the capital reports six or
more SARS cases and has three or more outbreak locations. Schools which report
diagnosed or suspected cases might suspend class and You'an Hospital and the
Chest Hospital might be put into use. Quarantine measures would also be taken.
When the city sees 30 or more diagnosed cases, the first level of alert will
be sounded. Xiaotangshan Hospital, built during the SARS outbreak this spring,
will be used and health checks will be strictly imposed at accesses to the
capital. Also, a health condition report system will be put into use in hotels.
While a SARS prevention office has been set up in the municipalhealth bureau,
the regulations stipulate that all district and county governments should be
held liable in the prevention of SARS.
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