SARS, More deaths
Twelve more people have died from the bug in Hong Kong, bringing the number of SARS deaths there to 133.
China says another nine people have died from the syndrome bringing its nationwide death toll to 131. Around 161 more people in the country have been diagnosed with SARS.
China now has almost 3,000 cases.
The Chinese Government has ordered the closure of cinemas, theatres, and other public places in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Beijing's third largest university has also been closed.
A 79-year-old woman has died of SARS in Canada. The woman is the 21st victim of the deadly epidemic in the country.
Opposition calls for measures
Here, Opposition parties have called for further measures aimed at preventing the SARS virus from reaching Ireland.
Fine Gael's Leader in the Seanad, Brian Hayes, has said that preventive measures must be central to any health strategy dealing with SARS.
He added, however, that the Department of Health had no effective procedures in place to deal with the threat.
Senator Hayes said people had lost confidence in the capacity of Minister Micheál Martin to handle the threat, and that he had a duty to restore public confidence in the health service.
Labour's Spokeswoman on Health, Liz McManus, said it was very clear that neither the public nor the medical profession had any confidence in the capacity of the Minister to deal with this problem effectively.
She said this has come about after what she called the inept and incompetent handling of the suspected case involving a woman recently returned from China.
Ms McManus said the direct intervention of the Taoiseach was now needed. She said Bertie Ahern should set up, and chair, an emergency group to co-ordinate efforts to prevent the spread of SARS.
She added that many health professionals had still not received the necessary guidelines or equipment to enable them to deal with suspected cases, and there still appeared to be no clear strategy for dealing with those who travel to Ireland from high-risk areas.
