Taipei City orders SARS measures for transport

Taipei City Government has ordered a series of stepped-up measures to curb the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), including activating an alert system at schools and public facilities to monitor any possible spread of the disease and imposing large-scale disinfection measures for public transportation.

Following the Cabinet-level Department of Health's decision on late Thursday night to list SARS as a statutory communicable disease, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) immediately ordered the city to tighten up the administration, report all suspected cases, quarantine those identified a having the disease and increase check-ups across different city departments.

According to the Communicable Disease Prevention Law (傳染病防治法), individuals who have had contact with suspected SARS patients should be subject to quarantine or medical treatment by health authorities.

Those who fail to cooperate with the health officials will face fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$300,000.

Director of the city's Bureau of Transportation, Lin Chih-ying (林志盈), has ordered the city to disinfect all of its 870 buses.

Those buses which have completed the disinfection process will have a "check-up" sign placed on the bus to notify the passengers that the buses have been cleared.

Lin also said that more than 1,100 bus drivers around the city have been asked to wear surgical masks while working and to open the windows of the buses to ensure proper ventilation.

The MRT system will also be required to undergo disinfection measures. In addition to regular sanitation maintenance, the MRT system will step up the disinfection of all stations and carriages.

The public information display system would put up information regarding SARS and advised the public to take precautions by avoiding crowded public places and report to the health authority if any symptoms similar to SARS develop.

The Taipei City Bureau of Social Affairs yesterday said that all the city's public welfare institutions including home-care institutes, nursing homes, homeless facilities and mid-way homes for juveniles will be put under close monitoring.

Taipei City Bureau of Health Director Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) yesterday warned that as more SARS cases contracted abroad were reported here, the nation is expected to begin reporting domestic SARS cases next week.

The city has shut three clinics reported to have had contact with the four SARS patients. Some medical personnel and doctors of the Municipal Ren-Ai Hospital and Cathay General Hospital have been put under quarantine.

Chiou advised medical personnel who have had contact with patients with respiratory disease to wear the N95 particulate surgical masks, which are designed specially for a use in a health care setting.

Amid the previous spat between Taipei City and the Cabinet over whether to list SARS as a statutory communicable disease, Chiou said yesterday that she was gratified that the central government had finally stepped up efforts to legitimize the status of the disease

The decision on the status of the disease will give health officials the authority to implement more measures to limit the mobility of those suspected of having contracted SARS and family members who have visited those who have shown symptoms of the disease.