MEASURES CONCERNING SUPERVISION OF SANITATION AT BORDER PORTS OFTHE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

MEASURES CONCERNING SUPERVISION OF SANITATION AT BORDER PORTS OFTHE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Important Notice: This English document is coming from the "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7) which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China Legal System Publishing House.

In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.

Whole Document MEASURES CONCERNING SUPERVISION OF SANITATION AT BORDER PORTS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (Approved by the State Council on December 30, 1981 and promul- gated by the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Communications, General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and the Ministry of Railways on February 4, 1982) Chapter I General Provisions Article 1 These Measures are formulated, as required by Article 3 of the Frontier Health and Quarantine Regulations of the People's Republic of China , to strengthen the supervision of sanitation at border ports and aboard international means of transport, to improve their sanitary conditions and to block up and extinguish sources of infection, cut off channels of spreading, prevent infectious diseases from spreading into or out of the country and protect the health of the people.

Article 2 These measures shall apply to sea ports, airports, railway stations and passes open to the outside world (hereinafter generally referred to as "border ports") and to international vessels, aircraft and vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "means of transport") staying in these places.

Chapter II Sanitation Requirements at Border Ports Article 3 A cleaning system shall be established in border ports to eliminate the breeding grounds of flies and mosquitos, install litter bins and their regular cleaning so as to keep the environment clean and tidy.

Article 4 Domestic refuse in border ports shall be removed every day and fixed refuse dumps provided for that purpose shall be regularly cleared; domestic sewage shall not be drained off indiscriminately and shall go through disinfecting treatment so as to prevent the environment and water sources from contamination.

Article 5 The departments concerned shall adopt feasible measures to reduce the numbers of insect vectors and rodents to a harmless level in the buildings of border ports.

Article 6 All floors of waiting rooms in piers, airports, stations and customs houses shall be kept neat and clean, their walls dust-free and their windows and tables bright and clean. They shall be well ventilated and equipped with necessary sanitation facilities.

Article 7 A perfect sanitation system shall be established in restaurants, cafes, canteens, dining rooms, kitchens, buffets and small shops in border ports so as to regularly keep them clean and tidy and make their walls, ceilings, tables and chairs clean and dustfree. The places shall be provided with refrigeration equipment and equipment against mosquitos, flies, mice and cockroaches and no such pests and rodents shall be found inside these buildings.

Article 8 Attendants shall be put in charge of the toilets and bathrooms in border ports, cleaning them regularly and keeping them clean and tidy so as to rid them of flies and nasty odours.

Article 9 The warehouses, godowns and goods yards in border ports shall be kept clean and tidy. When abnormal death of mice or rats is found, immediate reports shall be given to health quarantine authorities or local public health and epidemic prevention departments.

Article 10 The water sources for border ports shall be well protected and toilets, seepage wells, etc. which will pollute the water sources shall not be built within a distance of 30 meters in diameter from a water source.

Chapter III Sanitation Requirements for Means of Transport Article 11 Means of transport shall be equipped with first-aid medicines and equipment as well as disinfectants, insecticides and rodenticides. If necessary, provisional quarantine rooms shall be arranged aboard ships.

Article 12 Provisions concerning the prevention and elimination of insect vectors and rodents from means of transport: (1) ships, aircraft and trains shall be provided with adequate preventive measures against rodents so as to eliminate them or to reduce their numbers to a harmless level; (2) these means of transport shall be kept free from mosquitos, flies or other harmful insects, which shall be eliminated upon discovery.

Article 13 The toilets and bathrooms on means of transport shall be kept clean, tidy and free from unpleasant odours.

Article 14 The sanitation requirements for the disposal of excrement, urine, refuse and sewage on means of transport are as follows: (1) daily refuse shall be put in containers with covers, prohibited from being dumped indiscriminately into port areas, airports or station areas and must be removed by means of special refuse vehicles (or vessels) to designated places for treatment. If necessary, excrement, urine and sewage shall go through sanitary treatment before being disposed of; (2) the refuse in solid form on board means of transport from epidemic areas of plague shall be disposed of by incineration, while the excrement, urine, ballast water and sewage on board means of transport from the epidemic areas of cholera shall be sterilized if necessary.

Article 15 The sanitation requirements for cargo holds, luggage cars, postal cars and freight cars of means of transport as well as trucks are as follows: (1) such insect vectors and harmful animals as mosquitos, flies, cockroaches and mice and conditions favourable for their breeding shall be eliminated from cargo holds, luggage cars, postal cars, freight cars and trucks which shall be thoroughly cleaned before goods are being loaded or unloaded so as to be free of excrement, urine and refuse; (2) the freight cars or trucks carrying poisonous substances and food shall be placed separately in different designated places so as to avoid contamination and shall be thoroughly cleaned after goods are completely unloaded; (3) the luggage and goods from epidemic areas shall be carefully examined so that no insect vectors and rodents shall subsist therein.

Article 16 The sanitation requirements for passenger cabins, lodging cabins and passenger cars of means of transport as well as passenger vehicles are as follows: (1) passenger cabins, lodging cabins, passenger cars and other passenger vehicles shall be cleaned whenever necessary, kept free of refuse and dust and well ventilated; (2) beddings shall be replaced and washed after use each time and be free of lice, fleas, bedbugs or other insect vectors.

Chapter IV Sanitation Requirements for Food, Drinking Water and Personnel Engaged in These Trades Article 17 The food supplied to border ports and on means of transport shall conform to the provisions in the Regulations of People's Republic of China on Food Hygienic Control and food hygienic standards.

Article 18 The drinking water supplied to border ports and on means of transport shall conform to Hygienic Standards of Drinking Water stipulated by the state. The vehicles used in transporting drinking water as well as storage containers and water pipelines shall be cleaned regularly and kept clean.

Article 19 The health requirements for personnel engaged in supplying food and drinking water as follows: (1) the patients or carriers of infectious intestinal diseases or sufferers from active tuberculosis or suppurative exudative dermatosis shall not be engaged in supplying food and drinking water; (2) all personnel engaged in the supply of food and drinking water shall go through a medical check-up every year. Those newly engaged in this work shall first have a medical check-up and those proved up to the standard shall be granted health certificates; (3) the personnel engaged in the supply of food and drinking water shall cultivate good hygienic habits, dress neatly and cleanly at work and strictly abide by the hygienic operation system.

Chapter V The Duties of Persons in Charge of Border Ports and Means of Transport Article 20 The duties of the officers in charge of border ports and means of transport pertaining to sanitation and hygiene are as follows: (1) to do a good job in keeping up to the sanitation and hygiene standards, and be always ready for the supervision and inspection by the sanitary supervision personnel and provide them with facilities for their work; (2) to play an exemplary role in abiding by these Measures and other sanitation decrees, regulations and provisions; (3) to promptly adopt remedial measures to change the unsanitary conditions of border ports and the means of transport in accordance with the advice of the sanitation supervisors; (4) to report to the border health quarantine authorities or local epidemic prevention department and immediately adopt epidemic prevention measures when a quarantine infectious disease or a monitored one is found.

Chapter VI The Responsibilities of Sanitation Supervision Authori- ties Article 21 The health quarantine authorities in border ports shall exercise sanitation supervision over border ports and means of transport under the leadership of local people's governments. Their major responsibilities are: (1) to supervise and direct the officers in charge of the departments concerned in border ports and on means of transport in the prevention and elimination of insect vectors and rodents; (2) to examine the food and drinking water on board means of transport parked in border ports and ready to cross border in both directions and exercise sanitation supervision over systems of transport, supply and storage facilities; (3) to carry out examination, supervision and hygienic treatment of persons who have died from causes other than accidents in border ports and on board means of transport; (4) to supervise the officers in charge of the departments concerned in border ports and means of transport in the removal and treatment of excrement, urine, refuse and sewage; (5) to exercise sanitation supervision over environmental factors which are of epidemiological significance to quarantine and monitored infectious diseases; (6) to monitor the implementation of the measures to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the vicinity of border ports; and (7) to conduct hygiene publicity and education, spread hygiene knowledge among people and heighten the consciousness of the personnel in border ports and on means of transport to abide by and implement these Measures.

Article 22 A border port health quarantine organ shall be provided with 1 to 5 border port sanitation supervisors to carry out the tasks of sanitation supervision and such ports shall be concurrently held by the leading cadres and professional personnel above the rank of quarantine doctor of the border port health quarantine organ, who are of commendable personality and great conscientiousness in work. Border port sanitation supervisors shall be recommended by health quarantine authorities, screened by the public health administration authorities of the provinces, municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions, and appointed by the Ministry of Public Health of the People's Republic of China and granted Certificates of Border Port Sanitation Supervisors.

Article 23 On the strength of their certificates, border port sanitation supervisors shall have the right to exercise sanitation supervision, inspection and technical guidance over the officers in charge of border ports and means of transport; they may in conjunction with departments concerned, put forward proposals for improvement to the units or individuals concerned whose sanitation work is dissatisfactory and has resulted in the spread of infectious disease and take necessary measures to deal with them in conjunction with the departments concerned.

Chapter VII Rewards and Punishments Article 24 Border port quarantine authorities shall commend and reward units and individuals that have made remarkable achievements in the implementation of these Measures and the state decrees, regulations and provisions relating to public health.

Article 25 Border port health quarantine authorities shall, on the merit of each case, warn or fine the units and individuals that have contravened these Measures and the decrees, regulations and provisions relating to public health and may submit the cases to the judicial organs for punishment according to law.

Chapter VIII Supplementary Provision Article 26 These Measures shall go into effect as of the date of promulgation.

Notes: The said Regulations were nullified by Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China adopted by the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress on December 2, 1986, the Measures shall be effective. The said Regulations were nullified by Food Hygiene Law of the People's Republic of China (For Trial Implementation) adopted by the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress on November 19, 1982 and the Law shall apply instead - The Editor.