NEW YORK -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
lifted its SARS travel advisory for Hong Kong and established a
travel alert.
An advisory recommends against nonessential travel. An alert
"informs travelers of a health concern and provides advice about
specific precautions," according to the CDC.
The CDC said removed the advisory for three reasons. The disease
is now characterized by person-to-person at a few specific points
with no evidence of wider transmission into the community.
Twenty days, or two times the incubation period, have passed
since there's a reported case outside of the known group.
And, there have been no new outbreaks and monitoring has been
effective.
The World Health Organization lifted its SARS travel advisory
for Hong Kong May 23.
Hong Kong authorities are preparing a marketing campaign to
bring tourism and business travelers back to the locality. The
CDC's lifting of its advisory was a precondition for getting that
campaign in gear.