Government has no travel restriction plans for SARS

THE GOVERNMENT had no plans to stop travellers from Southeast Asia entering Cyprus, health officials said yesterday.

The question was raised after Malaysia barred tourists from mainland China crossing its borders, in a move to prevent the rapid spread Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which has left over 100 people dead and sparked a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning. The Philippines has said it is likely to ban travel to Hong Kong.

However, in Cyprus, a move to ban passengers from the worst-hit areas is considered unnecessary. The high-risk areas are China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Transmission has also increased in Canada and Vietnam, according to the WHO.

“The World Health Organisation has issued no such instructions,” said Dr Chrystalla Hadjianastasiou. “Instead, passengers leaving affected regions are given health checks and have to fill in questionnaires on their state of health.” Another precaution the government had taken is to remind airlines to issue general health declarations before landing, which is common practice in light of infectious disease outbreaks. “Aircraft staff flying to Cyprus have been told to check passengers for symptoms so that the captain can be alerted if there is such a case,” said Hadjianastasiou. If someone displays SARS symptoms onboard the flight, the pilot will inform the landing airport so the passenger can be taken to the airport clinic for a check up. A special facility has been set up at Limassol hospital as a precaution in light of a possible outbreak on the island. So far the ward has remained empty.

On Tuesday, WHO had recorded 2,671 SARS cases, with 103 deaths from 17 countries. This represented an increase of 70 cases and five deaths from the previous day.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.