Chinas' Ministry of Communications dispatched four inspection teams under the direction of Vice Minister Hong Shanxiang on Tuesday to some of China's hardest hit epidemic areas.
The teams will inspect north China and bordering areas on preventive measures taken in road and waterway transport, aiming to stop the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
A series of preventive measures have been adopted by the ministry to strengthen epidemic prevention in the national transportation sectors, and the ministry will check the implementation of these measures during the inspection.
The ministry required all city-level, county-level or town-level bus stations and ports to register passengers' health information and temperature and report every day.
To prevent the epidemic expanding to the rural areas, the ministry would also strive to educate staff involved in rural transportation, and strengthen SARS monitoring work during rural bazaars and at popular fairs.
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2003)
