Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
(April 4, 2003)

This Public Announcement is being issued to alert U.S. citizens that the Department of State has authorized
the departure, on a voluntary basis, of non-emergency employees and all family members at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, as a precautionary measure due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) situation. The Consulate General remains open to provide the full range of services to American citizens and the general public. This Public Announcement expires on June 26, 2003.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends U.S. Citizens defer elective or non-essential travel to areas with a large number of SARS cases, including Mainland China and Hong Kong. U.S. citizens resident or traveling in these areas should closely monitor the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov and the website of the World Health Organization at http://www.who.int for the latest information on SARS.

For further information on travel to China, U.S. citizens should also consult the Department of State’s Consular Information Sheets for China, the Fact Sheet on SARS and the SARS in Asia Public Announcement, all of which are located at http://www.travel.state.gov.

Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings