Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, welcomed Friday the World Health Organization's decision to lift its travel advisory against Hong Kong.
Speaking at a press conference in Hong Kong, Tung expressed hearty thanks to all Hong Kong people who have made great efforts during the two-month struggle against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
He said Hong Kong will make more efforts toward having zero SARS infections and being removed from the WHO's list of SARS infected areas as early as possible.
Huang Huahua, governor of China's southern province of Guangdong, also welcomed the WHO's decision, saying that Guangdong would seize this opportunity to recover its tourism, catering and transportation industries.
Top institutions of traditional Chinese medicine in China's mainland Thursday recommended eight traditional medicines that were proven to have a "probable effect" on improving the symptoms of SARS patients.
The recommendation has attracted wide attention from China's Taiwan province in which the SARS situation still remains critical.Taiwanese medical experts have expressed hopes of sharing the precious information and experience of anti-SARS treatment with their colleagues in the Chinese mainland.
China also attached great importance to providing psychological assistance to the patients and medical staff in quarantined zones.
Psychologists in Tianjin Friday moved their offices into the quarantined zones to offer treatment and assistance to the patients, as well as to the doctors and nurses.
China discouraged randomly discarding of pets on Saturday. Amid SARS fears, some residents in Beijing got rid of any pets with symptoms similar to that of the disease, which has roused public concern over the homeless animals.
Cai Fuchao, Beijing municipal publicity head, said that to date,no case of SARS has been reported by vets treating pets in Beijing. He advised the pet owners to cherish their beloved animals and notto abandon their love in a casual manner.
SARS has brought many fundamental changes to the lifestyle of Chinese people. A survey conducted by a Beijing local newspaper Saturday showed that more than 80 percent of the interviewees promised they would never spit or litter in public venues again.
(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2003)
