To combat any SARS resurgence swiftly and rigorously, a three-level response system is being planned.
Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said today the move is part of the Government's comprehensive strategy to beat SARS.
The system will be activated when there are laboratory-confirmed SARS cases outside Hong Kong, or a SARS alert in Hong Kong.
When there are one or more laboratory-confirmed SARS cases here, occurring in a sporadic manner, the Level 1 response will be activated.
Level 2 will be in place when there are signs of local transmission of the disease.
CE to chair steering committee
A steering committee will be set up to issue Government responses to Level 1 and Level 2 outbreaks. Dr Yeoh will head the committee at Level 1, while the Chief Executive will head at Level 2.
Dr Yeoh said the steering committee will formulate overall disease control strategy and decide on measures to curb its spread.
Apart from closely monitoring the situation and reviewing measures taken, the committee will assess the socio-economic impact of the crisis and make decisions on measures to minimise the impact.
It will also evaluate the Government's preparedness to cope with possible deterioration of the situation and direct measures to be taken to augment any inadequacy.
Drills will be conducted in November to test the operation and effectiveness of the response plan.
60 more recruited for temperature screening
To strengthen our preparedness, temperature screening and health declarations at immigration checkpoints will continue. The Department of Health will employ 60 more people to carry out the job.
To strengthen healthcare workers' knowledge on infectious disease control, some 1,860 courses have been held over the past six months.
Hospital Authority Chief Executive Dr William Ho said some 1,290 additional isolation beds will be ready in phases at nine major acute public hospitals, while some 150 beds in another five public hospitals are being converted into isolated ones.
Together with the existing 300 isolation beds, there will be a total of 1,700 isolation beds available by the end of the year.
CDC-like organisation in place by year's end
Dr Yeoh said that action is in hand to set up a Centre for Disease Control-like organisation to strengthen the longer-term infectious disease prevention.
He expects its preparatory body to be in place towards the end of the year.
On maintaining close and effective surveillance, the Government will keep close contact with the Mainland, Macau and other neighbouring health authorities to ensure information exchange.
The Checklist of Measures to Combat SARS covers measures for 17 public and private organisations in sectors such as health, education, social welfare, transport, housing, tourism, aviation, labour and food premises.
Dr Yeoh encouraged different sectors to prepare their own contingency plans and to conduct drills regularly.
As the SARS Expert Committee will publish its report early next month, Dr Yeoh said the Government will study the recommendations and incorporate them into the checklist where appropriate.
The checklist will also be under constant review and improved.
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