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Shanghai will issue new regulations "in days" to punish anyone who doesn't cooperate with medical authorities during the SARS outbreak, by withholding information about where they have traveled or who they have had contact with.
The new regulations will list specific punishments for those who deliberately hide their medical history, contact with SARS patients or cover up travel to hard-hit areas, city officials said Wednesday.
Previously, Chinese law only listed a punishment of up to seven years in prison for "intentionally spreading an epidemic disease."
The move is apparently designed to prevent people, particularly those from hard-hit regions who regarded the city as a safe heaven, from spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in Shanghai.
Of the city's six confirmed SARS patients, four traveled to the city to find safety after being told to undergo quarantine in a northern Chinese city, according to the city government's weekly SARS briefings.
One couple lived in a building back in their original city with confirmed SARS patients and the other had a neighbor who fell ill with SARS.
When symptoms first arose, both couples bought medicines, rather than go to a hospital. When put under medical observation after they sought medication later at local hospitals, the fifth and sixth patients didn't tell doctors they had just arrived in the city from a hard-hit area.
"They hesitated in telling the truth. We made five inquires to be clear on their origin and places they visited in Shanghai," said Peng Jing, vice director of the Shanghai Health Bureau.
Local health officials said one of the couples visited the Youyichun Free Market, the No 1 Department Store, Qibao Hymart, Xinsong Drug Store and Xinsong Electric Appliance Store. They also traveled throughout the city on the metro. Officials said they have disinfected all of those places.
At present, the couple's son and daughter, who traveled with them, haven't developed symptoms and are still under strict medical observation.
Besides the new rules, Shanghai will also adopt tougher measures to monitor the city's moving population.
"Local residents returning from SARS-affected regions must undergo medical observation, and people visiting Shanghai from other provinces must undergo health checks," said Peng.
The city yesterday reported no new confirmed SARS cases, keeping the count at six. Meanwhile, two new suspected cases were reported and two cases were eliminated, leaving the total number of suspected patients at 12, including two US citizens.
Officials also explained why the two Americans have been listed as suspected cases for such a long time.
"One of the suspected patients is almost recovered after treatment. Another is still under observation, as doctors have different opinions on clinical diagnosis. However, we plan to review all the suspected cases in the city to get more accurate data and accumulate experiences," Peng said.
(eastday.com May 8, 2003)
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