China's Ministry of Health has resumed the practice, originally adopted in the third week of April, of issuing daily reports on the number of Sars cases found in the country; there are none at the present time.
Last month, the Municipal Government of Beijing announced the establishment of a news release system for public health information. It was described as "an active move that will help Beijingers prepare for any possible resurgence of Sars this winter."
The new measures are a reflection of the fact that a lack of access to public health information at the beginning of the Sars crisis in February led to rumours, panic and a spread of the virus. Central authorities are, accordingly, encouraging an open and transparent information mechanism all around the country this time.
A survey of 1,091 business people published in the November 20 edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review has found that respondents believed the handling of the Sars crisis actually improved China's image in the world. In Shanghai, 83 per cent approved Government crisis handling; 80 per cent in Beijing and 65 per cent in Guangzhou.