Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called for substantial national efforts for coordination in combating severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Premier Wen made the call in written instructions to a meeting Tuesday in Beijing of the National SARS Prevention and Control Headquarters to discuss beefing up SARS control in Beijing and surrounding areas.

He urged an exchanges of experience on SARS prevention and control so as to avoid repeating errors caused by inadequate preventive measures in some areas, and setting up a coordination mechanism to prevent the spread of SARS.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice-Premier Wu Yi ordered treating SARS control in the Chinese capital and its adjacent areas in unison, saying that these areas have to unite in combating SARS epidemic.

Wu, also head of the National SARS Prevention and Control Headquarters, urged Beijing and other places suffering seriously from the SARS outbreaks to reinforce their control over outgoing personnel so as to prevent SARS from spreading, particularly to rural areas.

She also urged increasing quarantine equipment and facilities at airports, railway stations, ports and major means of transport and arousing and mobilizing social forces in building a SARS monitoring network.

Meanwhile, the vice-premier said, the economic work would continue, and the normal order in transportation and daily life and social stability have to be maintained.

Municipal officials in charge of SARS control in the city of Beijing and surrounding areas, including Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, neighboring Hebei and Shanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolian autonomous region, and members of the National SARS Prevention and Control Headquarters addressed the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)