China has threatened to execute or jail for life anyone who violates quarantine restrictions and spreads the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.
The interpretation of the country's infectious diseases law, issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, went into effect on May 13th but was publicised in full in today's Legal Daily.
"Intentionally spreading sudden contagious disease pathogens that endangers public security or leads to serious personal injury, death or heavy loss of public or private property will be punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment or the death penalty," Xinhua news agency said of the ruling.
The World Health Organization immediately expressed concern the Draconian law could be counterproductive as it would deter possible SARS patients from going to hospital.
The drastic move came as the epidemic showed further signs of abating with the lowest reported number of new cases since the government ended a nearly five-month attempt at covering up the crisis on April 20th.
Four new deaths and 52 new cases took the cumulative nationwide tallies to 271 and 5,163 respectively.
Beijing, the worst-hit city in the world, also recorded its lowest number of cases (27) since April 20th, to take its total to 2,388 and 140 dead.
With the economy taking a beating from SARS, the government has embarked on a mass public campaign aimed at eradicating the disease.
The threat of death or jail appears to be part of those measures and came as government officials voiced confidence they could keep the disease from spreading to the vast countryside.
China liberally uses the death penalty, executing more people each year than the rest of the world combined, according to Amnesty International.
According to the ruling, people with or suspected of carrying contagious diseases, who refuse medical exams, isolation or treatment and pass on the disease unintentionally can be sentenced from three to seven years.
Police have also arrested Internet "rumor-mongers" for spreading false information on SARS, while the state press has been full of stories on police crackdowns and raids on people selling fake or shoddy medicine and medical products.
AFP