ISLAMABAD, May 1: The government is considering carrying out complete screening of all passengers coming from the countries affected by SARS virus on the apron before allowing them to disembark.

Steps are being suggested to send a team of health authorities inside the aircraft on arrival before it is connected to the gallery or the ladders for disembarkation. The team would carry out a complete check of any passenger with signs of fever, cough, shortness of breath or other related symptoms of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), said Hamid Yar Hiraj, Minister of State for Health, here on Thursday.

Any suspected passenger would be filtered out immediately to bring him/her to a separate area of the airport building to further carry out medical tests. The suspected case would be quarantined and referred to hospitals while the addresses of suspected patients would be retained with the airport health authority concerned.

“We are trying to make foolproof arrangements at all entry points,” the minister told reporters at his Islamabad residence.

He dispelled the impression that all incoming flights from the affected countries would be suspended for a while saying it was not the answer to the situation besides it would also affect the country’s economy.

However, the incoming passengers have also been asked through warning signs not to hide SARS-like symptoms for the sake of their own safety and for the safety, well-being of their families and near and dear-ones.

Mr Hiraj said that no case of SARS had yet been identified in Pakistan, adding that the main focus of the government was on the preventive side for which a number of steps had been taken.

He said warning fliers had been placed at all airports requesting the people proceeding to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other SARS-affected countries to postpone their travel and, if unavoidable, not to go to crowded places, cinemas, shopping malls and visiting those hospitals where SARS patients were admitted.

He said that a special cell in the National Institute of Health (NIH) had been set up to deal with such cases. The Punjab government has also established a similar resource centre but three other provinces have yet to set up similar centres.

He said monitoring of all entry points were being done and the information was being updated regularly.

About the closure of the Khunjerab border at the Sust customs checkpoint for a month, he said this was a crucial economic entry point for Pakistan and “we could not close it for a longer period.” He, however, expressed the hope that epidemic would die down during this period.