The home situation-reporting system is one of eight measures Shanghai has taken since April 23 to prevent the spread of SARS.

In addition, efforts to monitor and prevent the fatal disease have been intensified in airports, railway and bus stations, ship berths, hotels, entertainment centers, schools and neighborhoods.

Residents' lives have been affected by several temporary changes, but these are understood fully by the residents.

Wang, the director of the Fuxing Neighborhood Committee, said residents have responded quite well with the door-to-door inquiries carried out by the committee.

A significant number of people now wear gauze masks when traveling by subway or while shopping in this east China metropolis.

Infrared body temperature scanners have been installed at both Hongqiao and Pudong airports, and passengers are being told to have their temperature taken both before and after flights.

In Chinese restaurants and western fast-food outlets, service providers are all wearing gauze masks and gloves, and customers are told to eat from separate dishes.

Teachers at primary and middle schools and at kindergartens are required to take students' temperatures and report to relevant health departments on a regular basis. Workers who return from business trips outside Shanghai are told to stay home for several days to observe any changes in their health.

Xu Genshun, head of the general affairs office under the supervision of the General Manager of the five-star New Jinjiang Hotel, said it's everybody's responsibility to fight against SARS, and the best way for the time being, in the absence of a cure and of a full understanding of the disease, is to prevent transmission.

According to Xu, the hotel lobby is equipped with a medical center, and all guests are required to fill out health reports and have their temperature taken before checking in.

Guests who come from SARS-ravaged areas are assigned rooms on designated floors, and no complaints have been received thus far, said Xu.

Hygiene awareness and responsibility have been improving among Shanghai residents. At the Shenglameng Bakery on Yunnan Road, bakers and sales clerks all wear face masks and gloves.

"It is quite uncomfortable to use gauze masks, but we have to wear them because we sell food and should be responsible for the health of our customers," said one clerk.

Scientific knowledge about the prevention and spread of SARS has been widely publicized. There is no panic in the city, although some temporary adjustments have been made to prevent SARS.

Ms. Shi, on a platform of the Shanghai Railway Station waiting a train to Beijing, said that the panic generated by rumors was worse than the disease itself and that optimism and unity are key to overcoming all difficulties.

"We have paid dearly for SARS, but we have also learned a great deal from fighting against the disease," said Shi, who has long been engaged in research in the field of molecular biology.

Shi added that long-neglected feelings of human concern among residents, civic responsibility and the cultivation of a civilized, safe and comfortable environment and hygienic personal living habits are being strengthened through the fight against SARS.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2003)