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CNN Sunday Morning
Beijing Government Expands Campaign Against SARS
Aired April 27, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The World Health Organization reports more than 4,800 SARS cases and nearly 300 deaths in more than two-dozen countries. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome appeared first in China and that is where the illness has taken its deadliest toll. Today, the government in Beijing is expanding its campaign against SARS. Is it going to be enough? That's the question. The latest from CNN's Jaime FlorCruz in the Chinese capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Sunday masses are temporarily canceled reads this notice from Beijing's Catholic Church, another casualty of SARS in China. Beijing city officials are closing down theaters, Internet cafes and other public and entertainment venues to avoid big crowds and cut the chain of SARS infections. This couple wanted to buy movie tickets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm disappointed that they're closing the cinemas and bars, now we have to find something else to do.
FLORCRUZ: The officials earlier closed off this Beijing hospital and ordered 4,000 residents to stay home because they've had close contact with SARS patients.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The issue is, of course, about surveillance, the issue is about contact tracing. It's about hospital infection control and the treatment itself.
FLORCRUZ: But Beijing's quarantine measures have triggered panic buying among some residents who worried that food shortages and possible force quarantine. Fear of SARS is also choking the economy. The previously vibrant tourism and service industries are now ailing as tourists desert Beijing and consumers stay at home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Passenger traffic on subway trains has been down by 50 percent.
FLORCRUZ: China's top leaders have visited hospitals, neighborhoods and university cafeterias to soothe public anxiety and to rally for support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When the Chinese nation unit as one, there's no insurmountable difficulty.
FLORCRUZ: To regain public confidence, Beijing has appointed a vice premiere to serve as concurrent health minister. Wu Yi, the only woman in the ruling political elite, replaced Zhang Wenkang, who was sacked for playing down the deadly crisis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORCRUZ: Anderson, China's tough anti-SARS measures in the long run, may help contain the spread of the epidemic, but in the meantime they are putting a damper on China's growing economy. They're also disrupting the lives of Beijing's 13 million people -- Anderson.
COOPER: Jaime, you said they now have tough anti-SARS method, but in -- early on, when it was most important, they really fumbled the ball. Why?
FLORCRUZ: Well, a lot of is endemic in the system, in the political system of China. The reporting system here is very, very fractured because most of the officials, especially out in the fields do not have any incentive to tell the truth. They tend to cover up the truth or water down bad statistics because they don't want to lose face and, worse, they don't want to lose their jobs. So all this month they have been covering up or undercounting SARS cases. They are now paying a huge price -- Anderson.
COOPER: And how many -- I mean, is there -- are there numbers on how many people are being quarantined both in Beijing and in other cities around the country?
FLORCRUZ: Well, the epicenter seems to have moved in Beijing, and so, Beijing's cases have grown from the official 37 cases two weeks ago -- of course, that was partly because of the cover-up -- and now it's close to 1,000, plus a few more hundred suspected cases. So Beijing authorities are preparing for the worst. They are expected to increase the numbers of designated hospitals for SARS treatments from six to 17. They're also preparing the special quarantine area in the suburbs of Beijing that can accommodate about 1,000 beds -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Jaime FlorCruz from Beijing, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 27, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The World Health Organization reports more than 4,800 SARS cases and nearly 300 deaths in more than two-dozen countries. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome appeared first in China and that is where the illness has taken its deadliest toll. Today, the government in Beijing is expanding its campaign against SARS. Is it going to be enough? That's the question. The latest from CNN's Jaime FlorCruz in the Chinese capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Sunday masses are temporarily canceled reads this notice from Beijing's Catholic Church, another casualty of SARS in China. Beijing city officials are closing down theaters, Internet cafes and other public and entertainment venues to avoid big crowds and cut the chain of SARS infections. This couple wanted to buy movie tickets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm disappointed that they're closing the cinemas and bars, now we have to find something else to do.
FLORCRUZ: The officials earlier closed off this Beijing hospital and ordered 4,000 residents to stay home because they've had close contact with SARS patients.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The issue is, of course, about surveillance, the issue is about contact tracing. It's about hospital infection control and the treatment itself.
FLORCRUZ: But Beijing's quarantine measures have triggered panic buying among some residents who worried that food shortages and possible force quarantine. Fear of SARS is also choking the economy. The previously vibrant tourism and service industries are now ailing as tourists desert Beijing and consumers stay at home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Passenger traffic on subway trains has been down by 50 percent.
FLORCRUZ: China's top leaders have visited hospitals, neighborhoods and university cafeterias to soothe public anxiety and to rally for support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When the Chinese nation unit as one, there's no insurmountable difficulty.
FLORCRUZ: To regain public confidence, Beijing has appointed a vice premiere to serve as concurrent health minister. Wu Yi, the only woman in the ruling political elite, replaced Zhang Wenkang, who was sacked for playing down the deadly crisis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORCRUZ: Anderson, China's tough anti-SARS measures in the long run, may help contain the spread of the epidemic, but in the meantime they are putting a damper on China's growing economy. They're also disrupting the lives of Beijing's 13 million people -- Anderson.
COOPER: Jaime, you said they now have tough anti-SARS method, but in -- early on, when it was most important, they really fumbled the ball. Why?
FLORCRUZ: Well, a lot of is endemic in the system, in the political system of China. The reporting system here is very, very fractured because most of the officials, especially out in the fields do not have any incentive to tell the truth. They tend to cover up the truth or water down bad statistics because they don't want to lose face and, worse, they don't want to lose their jobs. So all this month they have been covering up or undercounting SARS cases. They are now paying a huge price -- Anderson.
COOPER: And how many -- I mean, is there -- are there numbers on how many people are being quarantined both in Beijing and in other cities around the country?
FLORCRUZ: Well, the epicenter seems to have moved in Beijing, and so, Beijing's cases have grown from the official 37 cases two weeks ago -- of course, that was partly because of the cover-up -- and now it's close to 1,000, plus a few more hundred suspected cases. So Beijing authorities are preparing for the worst. They are expected to increase the numbers of designated hospitals for SARS treatments from six to 17. They're also preparing the special quarantine area in the suburbs of Beijing that can accommodate about 1,000 beds -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Jaime FlorCruz from Beijing, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
