The Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Health on
Wednesday ordered all air-conditioning systems in public sites to
be cleaned and disinfected before use to prevent the spread of the
SARS
virus.
The two ministries issued an emergency notice Wednesday to the
local offices of construction and health departments that all
public places like government buildings, airport lounges, railway
stations, marketplaces, office towers and hotels should improve
ventilation and have their air-conditioning systems cleaned and
disinfected.
Any air-conditioning system that fails to meet sanitation and
ventilation standards have to be shut down, said the notice.
Hospitals accommodating SARS patients must take further measures to
check air-conditioning systems in case of cross-infection.
Any buildings where SARS cases or suspected cases are spotted must
close the air-conditioning systems so as to reduce the risk of SARS
spreading. They can only be re-opened after inspection.
The Ministry of Construction said in another notice that all
construction workers in areas without SARS cases will be prohibited
from entering SARS-hit areas.
Workers at Construction sites SARS-hit areas should stay where they
are instead of moving to other places or being assigned to other
construction sites, said the ministry.
(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)