U.S. experts: China´s action to quarantine foreign travelers understandable

Source: Xinhua | 05-08-2009 15:53

By George Bao

LOS ANGELES, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. experts said on Wednesday that China's strict quarantine measures against foreign travelers from flu-affected countries and regions were "understandable."

Richard Baum, a scholar at the Center for Chinese Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, said the disastrous SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak which occurred in China several years ago, had made Chinese health authorities wary of the A/H1N1 flu virus.

He said this explained why China took strict measures to quarantine travelers from Mexico in its initial response.

Baum told Xinhua on Wednesday that China's quick response and actions were necessary, though he thought it was a little bit "over-reactive" at the beginning, but that was understandable.

"It is a learning process for the Chinese," Baum said, adding that the quarantine process has now been modified, the policies were more pragmatic and reasonable, and the Chinese health authorities well-informed on what needs to be done.

"We should understand that SARS has made many people very nervous about the A/H1N1 flu virus," Baum said.