Last year's Spring Festival took place just as the disease that would be named SARS was being noticed, and some said it helped spread the virus. The government cut last year's weeklong May Day holiday to five days and banned tourist travel because the country was in the throes of the outbreak.
With the latest cases, China says it has begun screening thousands of travelers for fevers at airports and train stations in a massive effort to block a new outbreak.
There was no evidence of temperature screening for arriving international flights at Beijing's Capital Airport on Saturday night. Meanwhile, South Korea, which has been SARS-free, stepped up its inspections of travelers from Beijing and Shanghai.
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