ISLAMABAD, May 31: The government has decided to keep the Khunjerab border closed for another one month owing to the fear of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which is still raging havoc in China.

An informed source privy to the development said that despite economic considerations, health experts were opposing the idea of opening Sost entry point with China due to Sars. The health experts argued that the virus had not been controlled in China, where it had spread to 22 provinces out of a total of 31 provinces.

The World Health Organization (WHO) figures suggested that the death toll in China due to Sars had increased to 328 while the total number of cases reported stood at 5,328.

Globally the mysterious virus had infected 8,317 in 31 countries out of which 754 people died, while 5,129 had recovered.

The Sost entry point was to open on June 1 as it was closed for a month in May by the government after taking into consideration the pattern of epidemiology of the viral infection in China. The governments of Pakistan and China had mutually agreed for the closure.

Meanwhile, the government had submitted a list to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), consisting of equipment needed to be provided at all the entry portals of the country including air and land. The ADB had offered Islamabad a technical assistance of $200,000 for the prevention of Sars in the country.

The source said that the list contained ear thermometers, temporal thermometers, masks, gowns, protective goggles etc. The equipment would be provided to all the entry points including the international airports at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and health centre at Sost.

The source said that the government for the time being had deleted thermal scanners from the list as they were expensive, which the assistance was not able to meet.

Earlier, the government officials had claimed that it intended to install thermal scanners similar to those fixed at the Dubai international airport to monitor body temperature of all the passengers arriving in the country.

The list also reserved a substantial amount for laboratory equipment, development of educational literature about Sars in addition to seminars and advocacy.