A Beijing municipal official Friday denied rumors that martial law would be enforced in the city to control the spread of the SARS disease.
The government will not close expressways and the airport for this purpose, said Cai Fuchao, a senior publicity official, at a press conference.
The Beijing municipal government has isolated some areas where patients of SARS have been spotted, in a bid to curb the spread of the disease and protect the 13 million people in Beijing, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2003)