Life in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, was normal Sunday though a new suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was reported.
In Lijiang Garden, where the suspected SARS patient lives, there was no sign of tension. Most of the residents there knew the news and the administration staff had put up emergency notices in the corridors to inform inhabitants of SARS prevention.
A 32-year-old freelance TV station worker was confirmed Saturday by the Chinese health authorities as a suspected SARS patient in this capital of south China's Guangdong Province.
Guangzhou, where the last SARS crisis started, again saw the first suspected SARS case in China. But this time people were ready and were not panicking.
Staff at a building in Lijiang Garden said disinfection started in Lijiang Garden on December 20.
The streets in Guangzhou were still bustling as usual. Mr. Chen, shopping with his wife, said his family was not shocked by the news of suspected SARS case as the government had warned of the possibility and made preparations. "We believe the government will deal with it quite well," said Chen.
Guangzhou Railway Station started its emergency SARS prevention system Saturday night and passengers were required to have their temperature taken twice before boarding.
The station was receiving more passengers as the transportation peak for the Spring Festival approaches, said Zhang Xueke, director of the station. Besides the original two ultra-red thermographs in the hall, every entry into the station waiting room was been equipped with a body temperature testing machine.
There had been no unusual case so far, said Zhang.
Baiyun Airport, the largest air hub in the southwest area, also started emergency SARS prevention work. Passengers were asked to report their health condition by filling in a form and those with a body temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius would be sent to the emergency medical station for further examination.
The passenger flow in Baiyun Airport was normal. On Sunday, over 400 flights passed through Baiyun Airport, carrying over 40,000 passengers. No passengers were wearing masks at the airport.
At Luohu Port in Shenzhen, near Guangzhou, local authorities expected over four million passengers from December 20 to January 2, up 2.7 percent over the same period last year.
Hospitals in Guangzhou were also operating normally and no panic had been seen among patients or staff.
A young nurse at the Municipal No. 1 People's Hospital in Guangzhou said the appearance of SARS did not cause any panic. "We have a lot of experience from the last SARS crisis and can manage it this time."
A notice issued by the hospital was on the wall, dated on October 8, telling patients with fever to go to the right clinic to receive proper treatment.
The Respiratory Disease Research Institute of the No. 1 Hospital affiliated to Guangzhou Medical Science College, the designated hospital receiving SARS patients this spring, was running as usual Sunday.
(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2003)
