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| Vietnam toughens up SARS control |
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Vietnam is toughening up measures to control Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), although the country has recorded positive results in the fight against the disease, Vietnam News reported Tuesday.
To prevent the spread of SARS, the Vietnamese Health Ministry has advised the northern province of Quang Ninh to scale down its Summer Tourism Week 2003 in the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Area.
The ministry also proposed a temporary closure of the northern border gates to prevent carriers of the fatal disease from crossing into Vietnam from the nations hit hardest by the virus.
In a proposal sent to the government last week, the ministry said that travelers from SARS-infected countries and regions should be required to submit official health certificates upon applying for visas or entering the country.
The ministry also suggested that Vietnam's flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, should provide surgical masks to all passengers and crew.
While stressing the need of inspection work in vulnerable provinces, Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien asked the port city of Hai Phong to temporarily stop receiving tours from the infected countries and regions, and to reduce the scope of its up-coming Hai Phong Tourism Festival.
Up to now, the cumulative number of SARS cases in Vietnam stood at 68, including five deaths and 59 discharged patients. And no new cases of SARS had been identified in Vietnam over the past two weeks.
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