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Airport and checkpoints in Hong Kong are in normal operation Saturday, which have kept alert against SARS after the confirmation of two SARS cases in Chinese mainland.

To cope with the huge influx of visitors expected from the China's mainland during the coming holidays from May 1 to 7, Hong Kong's Immigration Department will deploy an additional 300 employees to different checkpoints, its director Lai Tung-kwok noted.

He said that the department would strictly observe the health checks during the holidays.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong International Airport noted that they have followed the practice of requiring all passengers leaving Hong Kong by air to fill the health report cards and to have the body temperatures taken since April last year.

They will introduce new preventive measures if the relevant health department would suggest any, he said.

After learning the news of two SARS cases in Beijing and in central Anhui Province, most of the Hong Kong visitors who had planned a tour to Beijing continued with their journey, with a small number of them canceling their visits, according to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.

The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced Friday that it has activated the alert level of the three-level emergency response system relating to SARS.

An emergency response command structure involving senior officials from the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority has been put in place. It will monitor the developments closely and decide on appropriate actions in anticipation of new developments.