RIYADH, 6 May 2003 — The Kingdom has stepped up measures to prevent the entry of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) into the Kingdom, a health official said yesterday.
The Health Ministry set up a special committee here with branches throughout the Kingdom to coordinate efforts to fight the disease, according to Khaled Merghalani, head of media department.
Customs, passport and health employees at international airports have been ordered to put on masks while dealing with flights arriving from countries with cases of SARS, Merghalani added.
The ministry is contemplating importing equipment capable of detecting SARS cases at airports, he said.
So far, Saudi Arabia has reported no cases of the disease which has killed more than 450 people and infected over 6,500.
Riyadh last month banned the entry of people who had visited China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam and also barred entry to nationals of these countries.
The Kingdom has stopped issuing Umrah visas to Muslims in the Far East because of the disease.
Saudis have also been advised against traveling to several Asian countries.
Saudi Arabia and six Gulf countries who met in Qatar on Sunday to coordinate their efforts against SARS, said they still had no confirmed cases of the killer respiratory disease.
The countries agreed to inform each other about SARS cases registered among their citizens or expatriates.
