China yesterday quarantined 10,000 more citizens in its desperate efforts to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as panic riots hit rural areas despite global successes in halting the spread of the virus.
Nine new deaths from SARS and 160 new cases were reported in China yesterday, bringing the death toll to 206 and the total cases to 4,280 in what remains the worst-affected country.
Hong Kong reported three more fatalities, the lowest single-day death toll since April 12, fuelling optimism that the outbreak may have peaked in the territory. The total deaths from the disease in Hong Kong now stand at 187.
Canada, meanwhile, reported just one new "probable" case of SARS on Sunday, bringing further hope that the outbreak in the country has been brought under control.
A World Health Organization (WHO) advisory against travel to Toronto was lifted last week but WHO advisories on travel to Hong Kong, Beijing and China's Guangdong and Shanxi provinces remain.
"We are pleased the daily SARS cases has to dropped to the single digits," Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) said, adding he hoped talks with the WHO would also lift the region's travel ban.
In the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, 10,000 people were quarantined in an effort to halt the spread of SARS, while villagers in two remote areas destroyed quarantine centers and beat up officials, a sign the disease was creating social instability across the country.
"Several people have been detained as a result of the incident," a police official in Yuhuan county in Zhejiang Province said.
In another incident, villagers rioted from April 25 to 28 in Linzhou city, Henan Province, ransacking a planned SARS quarantine center and other medical facilities, Zhou Dawei, a local Linzhou official said.
The Linzhou riot resulted in the sacking of the director of the city's health bureau Wang Songlin and the city's infectious diseases station head Wang Yuxi last Friday, Zhou said. At least 13 people were arrested following the incident.
In Beijing however, confidence in official government reports that SARS was being brought under control prompted many people to "prematurely" lower their guards against the virus, taking to once deserted streets.
"There's a lot more analysis that needs to be done, and we think it's premature to make that kind of assessment," said Mangai Balasegaram, the WHO's Beijing-based spokeswoman.
In another development yesterday, the official China Daily reported that most of Beijing's 80 reservoirs have been put under isolation to prevent the SARS virus from entering the city's water supply. It said swimming, fishing and other recreation activities had been halted in the latest measures enforced by the government to prevent the spread of SARS.
More than 15,000 people have been quarantined in the capital, where 103 people have died from the disease and 1,897 have been infected.
State media said up to 55 senior officials and hospital directors have also been sacked for failing to set up quarantine areas and impose regulations, while lower-level medical personnel were quitting over safety fears.
On the scientific front, new research has emerged which shows that the SARS virus is more resilient than first thought and can survive for weeks outside the human body.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old