Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi Thursday urged strictly implementing
the daily SARS epidemic reporting system and warned that people
delaying the reporting or hiding the true situation would be
severely punished.
Wu, who directs China's anti-SARS operations, gave the order at
a national television and telephone conference on the prevention
and control of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Wu urged all localities to exercise unified leadership, keep
high vigilance and exert great efforts to prevent the resurgence of
the SARS epidemic, noting that autumn and winter are seasons prone
to respiratory diseases such as SARS.
She called for research of SARS diagnosing agents and
therapeutic drugs to be fortified and?international
cooperation in the field to be strengthened.
She also urged doing sound publicity to increase the confidence
and capability of the public in combating SARS.
The debut of SARS in China in the second quarter of this year
caused big economic losses, with tourism, retails, catering and
transport businesses suffering the most.
The latest survey results from the National Bureau of Statistics
show that these sectors recovered quickly in the third quarter.
Their main economic indicators have improved to varying degrees as
compared with the period one-year earlier.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2003)