The Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Health on Wednesday ordered all air-conditioning systems in public sites to be cleaned and disinfected before use to prevent the spread of the SARS virus.

The two ministries issued an emergency notice Wednesday to the local offices of construction and health departments that all public places like government buildings, airport lounges, railway stations, marketplaces, office towers and hotels should improve ventilation and have their air-conditioning systems cleaned and disinfected.

Any air-conditioning system that fails to meet sanitation and ventilation standards have to be shut down, said the notice.

Hospitals accommodating SARS patients must take further measures to check air-conditioning systems in case of cross-infection.

Any buildings where SARS cases or suspected cases are spotted must close the air-conditioning systems so as to reduce the risk of SARS spreading. They can only be re-opened after inspection.

The Ministry of Construction said in another notice that all construction workers in areas without SARS cases will be prohibited from entering SARS-hit areas.

Workers at Construction sites SARS-hit areas should stay where they are instead of moving to other places or being assigned to other construction sites, said the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)