Airports told to prepare for SARS

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Health has ordered all ports of entry to the country to reactivate its thermo-scanners, and has instructed hospitals and health agencies to develop an electronic warning system to anticipate the recurrence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

As four new cases were found recently in Beijing, health minister Achmad Sujudi said on Monday, "we will monitor all visitors from Asian countries closely".

The warning system is expected to be up and running within three months.

Indonesia reported no fatalities during the global SARS outbreak between September 2002 and May 2003. -- JP