Rp 1b allotted in thwart spread of SARS

JAKARTA: The city administration has made an emergency allocation of Rp 1 billion to counteract the threat of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a health official said.

City Health Agency director A. Chalik Masulili said that the money was being taken from the disaster relief fund maintained by his agency, beritajakarta.com reported.

He also said that people should not panic due to the lack of masks on the market as not everybody needed a mask. Only health officials who had direct contact with patients and patients' families needed masks.

People who have no direct contact with suspected cases of SARS should not overreact by wearing masks, he added.

He made his comments during a briefing on SARS in City Hall on Thursday, which was attended by district and subdistrict officials. --JP