Hong Kong has not reported any new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) up to April 25 since last year, said a spokesman for the Hospital Authority on Sunday.

He stressed that Hong Kong is making preparation against the killing disease.

On April 23, after the Chinese mainland reported the SARS cases in Beijing and east China's Anhui province, Hong Kong activated its surveillance system against the disease, and two patients were reported via the system by public hospitals.

Up to Sunday, no new case has been reported and "there has not been any case where the coronovirus test result is positive," said the spokesman.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced Friday that it also has activated the alert level of the three-level emergency response system relating to SARS.

Under the system, an emergency response command structure involving senior officials from the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) has been put in place.

They would monitor the developments closely and decide on appropriate action in anticipation of new developments.

In a relevant development, the Department of Health (DH) contacted the Center for Disease Control in China's Taiwan province on Sunday morning and confirmed that a 40-year-old Taiwanese passenger put under hospital isolation after returning from Beijing Saturday night had preliminary negative laboratory results for SARS. His six colleagues are asymptomatic and put under medical surveillance.

Investigations by the Department of Health revealed that the Taiwanese passenger had traveled from Beijing to Hong Kong on flight CA 109 (Air China) and from Hong Kong to Taipei on flight CX 402 (Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific) on April 24.

A DH spokesman said the DH approached the Taiwan health authority in view of the fact that the Taiwanese passenger who had on board these two flights developed fever after returning to Taiwan.

"While the Taiwanese passenger has a negative preliminary laboratory result for SARS, travelers on board CA 109 and CX 402 Saturday can call the hotline if they are concerned about their health," the spokesman said, adding that those who have developed respiratory symptoms including fever, chills and cough should seek medical treatment immediately.

The spokesman said that the DH will maintain close contact with the Taiwan health authority on the situation.

"Members of the public who have respiratory symptoms or feeling unwell should avoid traveling by plane before recovery," he added.

Airports and checkpoints in Hong Kong still are in normal operation while keeping higher alert against SARS after the confirmation of SARS cases in the mainland.

To cope with the huge influx of visitors expected from the mainland during the upcoming Labor Day golden week from May 1 to 7,Hong Kong's Immigration Department will deploy an additional 300 employees to different checkpoints, its director Lai Tung-kwok noted.

He said that the department would strictly observe the health checks during the holidays.

Commissioner for Tourism Eva Cheng said she believes the SARS cases in the mainland will not affect the visitor influx to Hong Kong in the golden week.

Speaking on a radio talk show, Cheng said that so far the SARS reports are restricted in Beijing and Anhui, so she did not see any adverse effects on tourism in Hong Kong.

Since the SARS outbreak last year, Cheng said, residents of Hong Kong and mainland have become more health conscious.

She said all sectors relevant to tourism "are well prepared" to receive tourists.

(Xinhua News  Agency  April 26, 2004)