Job Discussion Forums

[gmat]

It's official. Just read the news on Chinadaily.com (state-run web site).
Oh, and looks like there are 759 Beijing cases, not 35. Just a slight difference.

Here is the link. http://tinyurl.com/9wd0
And here is the full article.

The State Council has decided to cancel the week-long May Day holidays to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Executive Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang said Sunday at a news conference in Beijing.


"This year we will not have the week-long holiday," Gao said at the news conference held by the State Council Information Office.

The May Day holidays were due to start on May 1 and run to May 7. The nationwide vacation was approved by the Chinese government in 1999 in an effort to boost consumer spending, and they have resulted in a booming domestic tourist trade.


Gao noted that China will make public information about SARS cases on a daily basis starting April 21, Gao said. Before this, the information was released every five days.


Gao said the State Council decision is aimed to raise the awareness of governments at all levels and the general public on SARS prevention and control.


Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang said Sunday the epidemic reporting system must be carried out more strictly and violators would face severe punishment.


Gao said those officials in charge who are incompetent to have correct information about epidemics or intentionally cover up the situation of epidemics would be punished severely.


As a discipline, all medical institutions must strengthen monitoring of epidemics, timely check the cases, and report the situation to superior departments. No delay, cover-up or missing of the cases is allowed, he added.


Gao said that the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing has risen to 339, with 18 dead and 402 suspected cases, as of April 18, the Ministry of Health said Sunday at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.


Gao Qiang, the executive vice minister of the Ministry of Health, said that altgether, there was 1,807 cases in the Chinese mainland, with 1,304 in Guangdong.


Gao noted that five people from overseas in Beijing were confirmed to have SARS and another four from overseas were suspected of the disease.


There are 108 cases found in Shanxi, 25 in Inner Mongolia, 12 in Guangxi, six in Hunan, five in Sichuan, three in Fujian, two in Shanghai, two in Henan and one in Ningxia.


Zhu Qingsheng, vice minister of health attended the press conference to introduce the latest SARS cases, as well as the measures the Chinese government has taken to prevent the spread of the disease.



"The purpose is to prevent the massive flow of people that could lead to the spread of SARS."

[senor boogie woogie]

Hola!

Or should I say DAM! (sic) I was looking for a week off of goofing around and kicking back. Now it is all gone.

I wanted to go to Shanghai to see a laowai friend who recently left for Shanghai (he is a businessman). I asked my wife if she wanted to go and she is afraid because of this stuff. I work for a government school, so I see how this affects me. But Jaing Zemin Jr. (Hu Jintao) canned the holiday, so I will have to work.

I am not afraid of SARS (not really). I am more scared of SADS (Severe acute diarreha syndrome and SABDS (Severe acute bad driving syndrome).

I know I misspelled diarreha. I must be a poor English teacher.

SENOR (Cough, cough)

[Freaky Deaky]

Senor,

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you live in Hangzhou? There are more cases of Sars there than Shanghai I read somewhere today.

[gmat]

Senor et al

I believe that classes will not be scheduled May 1-7, but as the government officials put it "students and teachers should enjoy there holiday on campus".

And re Hangzhou, the first 3 cases reported from there in latest news story.

[Roger]

Is it true that Gao Qin-something (Health Vice-Minister) and the capital's mayor have been fired over the SARS information catastrophe?

(Or is this just another rumour?).

[MyTurnNow]

In the immortal words of 'Blazing Saddles' Lili von Schtupp,
"It's Twue! It's Twue! Oh my God, it's Twue!"

It's on the BBC Radio and also Yahoo News.

MT

[TEECHER]

Fired! Thats right, the poor saps. And just last week the same clowns who fired them were likely threatening their jobs if they didnt "keep a lid" on the situation.

[noyb]

[noyb]

True.

I may be wrong, but I'd bet that after a decent time interval we will start to hear the names of the "ex" mayor and "ex" health minister again in the news related to some government work.