Singapore sets up SARS committee

<a href=www.upi.com>UPI From the Science & Technology Desk Published 4/7/2003 12:39 AM

SINGAPORE, April 7 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has established a ministerial level committee to coordinate the overall strategy to deal with the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Singapore.

"The problem of SARS goes beyond one ministry. The government is taking this very seriously and has formed the Ministerial Committee because the problem has gone beyond a medical one," Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said.

The work of the committee, headed by Wong, will complement the work done by an executive group of senior civil servants who started looking into the SARS problems when the first cases surfaced last month in Singapore.

"The ministerial committee is taking a comprehensive look at the impact of SARS on every aspect of the economy and society. Hence, scenarios and plans are being developed for many sectors like transport, government, business, tourism, and education," Wong said.