| Hi Annie, the local qu wei hui people were pounding on my door one day before I arrived back in Shanghai, asking my ayi whether anyone has gone or is back from SARS infected area. So I decided to turn myself in before they execute me! :-) Dr. Wu came to take my temperature this morning, but I will call her everyday at 10am and 2pm to tell her my body temperature. Someone from the qu wei hui called me at 11am to see whether I needed anything (and probably see whether I have sneaked out of the house). So I am laying low. Here's an article about Shanghai's hotels from AP: 4 Major Shanghai Hotels Close Over SARS Mon May 12, 9:38 AM ET Add Business - AP to My Yahoo! By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer BEIJING - Four major hotels in Shanghai, China's biggest city, are closing for up to three months due to lack of guests amid the SARS (news - web sites) outbreak, employees said Monday. The closures of the Peace Hotel, the Shanghai Hotel, the Jinjiang Tower and the Donghu Hotel follow a steep decline in travel and add to the economic devastation of SARS, which has killed at least 252 people on China's mainland. Airlines, restaurants and other travel-related businesses are expected to suffer huge losses. Shanghai has reported only seven SARS cases and one death, but foreign tourists have heeded advisories to avoid China and the country is telling its own people not to travel. "We're closing because there are no customers," said a receptionist at the Peace Hotel, an Art Deco landmark on the Shanghai riverfront that was built in 1920. The 380-room hotel closed Monday and will reopen Aug. 12, said the receptionist, who wouldn't give her name. She said most of its staff already were on leave and managers weren't available to comment. It wasn't immediately clear how many employees of the four hotels would be affected. Phone calls to the Shanghai Tourism Commission weren't answered. The Shanghai Hotel is closing Wednesday for renovations and a date to reopen hasn't been set, said a receptionist there who wouldn't give her name. She said employees are to be furloughed with a 600-yuan-a-month ($75-a-month) living allowance. The Donghu Hotel also is closing, said an employee who answered the phone there and wouldn't give her name or other details. China's central government last week ordered officials to help airlines and other battered industries. An official of the country's tax agency said Monday that the government has ordered tax credits for SARS-affected businesses. The city government said last week that despite the loss of tourism, Shanghai's manufacturing and other industries were still strong and the city should record economic growth of at least 10 percent this year. In Beijing, which has suffered 129 deaths, authorities have told cinemas, gymnasiums, discotheques and other entertainment sites to close, idling thousands of workers. Shanghai has not ordered similar closures, but some businesses have shut down for lack of customers. The Jinjiang Tower is to close next Monday for three months, said a receptionist there. "We are a big facility but have no customers coming," said the woman, who wouldn't give her name. "Temporary closure is good for saving costs." |
My Temperature Is Monitored