Hong Kong's government said today it may ban people suspected of suffering from the deadly SARS virus from leaving the city.
Two more patients, both elderly males, died today in Hong Kong of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), taking the local death toll from the disease to 32.
China reported three more deaths today, while Indonesia and the Philippines announced their first "probable" cases of the disease.
Of the new cases in Hong Kong, only 22 were tied to health care workers and housing estate Amoy Gardens, where more than 200 people have fallen ill, sparking fears the disease is spiralling out of control in the broader community.
Hong Kong leader Mr Tung Chee-hwa told a news conference the government would discuss with airlines possible steps to prevent people affected with SARS from leaving the territory.
"If someone here has a high fever and tries to board a plane we will make arrangements so that he will see a doctor," he said.
He also said Hong Kong and Guangdong had reached a consensus today on issues including the exchange of information, medical cooperation and a border quarantine arrangement to fight the spread of the virus.
China has been criticised internationally for not promptly and openly addressing the epidemic, and the World Health Organisation has urged China for "full and open" reporting of SARS cases.
Worldwide, more than 3,000 people have been infected with SARS and more than 110 have died.
The flu-like disease, believed to have originated in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, hit Hong Kong in March and has been spread around the world by air travellers.
AFP