China is requiring that all passengers fill out health questionnaires before initiating travel as part of efforts to contain the spread of SARS, said the Ministry of Communications in Beijing Friday.
The ministry said that all road and maritime passenger terminals and transportation companies must use the designated health form to record the health status of passengers.
The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and the Ministry of Railways had already adopted measures requiring passengers to have their temperatures checked and requiring them to fill out the health form before traveling.
The Ministry of Communications said that all passengers must present their completed health forms when purchasing tickets, and those who fail to do so will be ineligible to buy tickets to travel by bus or ship.
Bus stations and ports serving as points of departure will be responsible for the distribution and collection of these health forms and for preparing a table listing the health condition of each passenger. The ministry requires that all forms be kept on file for at least one month.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2003)
