An additional 900 million yuan (US$108 million) will be given to spur the development of illness control institutions in central and western areas of China to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The State Development and Reform Commission said Sunday the total fund will reach 2.9 billion yuan (US$349 million).

An illness prevention and control network will also be completed by the end of this year, it stated.

The nation will also allocate 600 million yuan (US$72.3 million) to support the first phase of the national center of disease prevention and control, sources said.

Starting today, all passengers taking domestic flights are required to file a report of their health status before going through boarding procedures, according to sources with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC).

Yang Yuanyuan, head of CAAC, said departments must adopt measures to prevent the potential spread of SARS via aircraft.

Passengers should list the nations and cities they have visited during the past fortnight and must report to the airport authorities if they are suffering from coughs, fevers or have breathing difficulties.

Travel agencies, hotels, bus and shipping companies and the railway sector in China have taken preventive measures to halt the spread of SARS, Xinhua reported.

The Capital Taxi Company in Beijing strengthened sanitary and ventilation measures and provided taxi drivers with disinfectant and gloves.

The company has spent 800,000 yuan (US$96,600) on sterilization to provide a comparatively safe environment for passengers and to ensure the health of employees.

No SARS cases have been found among the 7,000 employees, according to company general manager Yang Heping.

Travel agencies have undertaken similar sanitary work in offices and transportation vehicles. Tourist guides are reminding customers to take necessary precautionary measures.

All of China's tourist enterprises will do their utmost to prevent the spread of SARS through travel, said Zhang Xiqin, vice-director of China National Tourism Administration.

The railways department has adopted emergency measures to prevent SARS and trains entering Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will be under strengthened supervision.

In another development, all colleges and universities are being urged to draft contingency plans on SARS prevention and control as well to set up counter-emergency mechanisms to prevent the transition of the fatal virus on campuses, said a notice issued by the Ministry of Education over the weekend.

Education administration officials in Beijing have issued a formal notice to adopt strict measures to prevent the spread of SARS in middle and primary schools and kindergartens.

Schools and kindergartens suspected of having pupils or staff infected with SARS can choose the temporary suspension of classes, it said.

Knowledge on SARS should be promoted among staff and students to enhance their self-protection.

Measures should be taken to ensure the ventilation and regular sterilization of key buildings on campuses such as student dormitories, dining halls, classrooms, labs and libraries.

(People's Daily April 21, 2003)