Asia reported 17 more severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) deaths yesterday as Beijing officials were ordered to step up efforts in fighting the virus and school children in Hong Kong went back to class wearing surgical masks after a three-week shutdown.
Worldwide, the death toll rose to 235 and the number of infections topped 4,000. China reported 11 new fatalities from severe acute respiratory syndrome, Malaysia announced its second death and worst-hit Hong Kong another five, pushing the SARS toll there to 99.
Canadian authorities said hundreds of people in Toronto might have been exposed to SARS by two hospital employees who ignored orders to stay home after they showed symptoms.
Asia's tourism industry suffered a new blow as Vietnam announced plans to close a popular attraction to Chinese visitors. Indonesia's national airline suspended flights to Taiwan because of a sharp drop in passenger numbers. Other carriers already have slashed flights.
Two days after canceling China's week-long May Day vacation to stop travelers from spreading the disease, the government restored some days off. But travel agents were barred from taking tour groups from one province to another.
In Hong Kong, about 200,000 secondary students were back in class at some 400 schools yesterday, said Education Department spokesman Roger Cheung. Another 900,000 younger students are expected to return to school on Monday, though Cheung said a final decision will be made later.
Both students and teachers were required to wear masks. Some students were seen lining up outside schools to have their temperatures taken in a search for fevers -- a SARS symptom.
In Beijing, where 28 people have died of SARS, state media quoted the city's Communist Party boss, Liu Qi, as telling officials to step up tracing of people who might have been exposed to the highly contagious respiratory illness and to report promptly and accurately.
Liu's comments came after the Health Ministry said Sunday the Chinese capital's number of infections had surged nearly tenfold from 37 to 339. Another triple-digit increase was announced yesterday. In all, China has now reported 2,158 SARS infections and 97 deaths.
"Do a good job of analyzing statistics, effectively control and cut off the source of infection," the Xinhua News Agency quoted Liu as saying Monday.
World Health Organization investigators had said Beijing's failure to trace people exposed to the disease could let it spread.
Such criticism led to the dismissal of Mayor Meng Xuenong, whom Xinhua said was replaced yesterday by a former party boss of the southern island province of Hainan.
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