On Wednesday, 23 April, an explanation was presented to the media about the result of the discussions held among the concerned parties in regarding the actions and measures taken against SARS in connection to the East Asian Football Championship 2003 Final Competition. A more specific action plan has since been formulated, the details of which are summarised below.
1） Overall Organisation
2） SARS Manual Distributed to the Participating Teams
・A manual listing actions and measures to be observed by the participating teams from 13 May, on which the list of 30 registered players should be submitted, and all throughout the teams' stay in Japan has been distributed to the participating teams (see Attachment 1 ).
3） Update of the Situation of the Participating Teams
・The most recent situation of the participating teams as of today is summarized in Attachment 2 .
4） Measures to be Taken at the Stadium on Match Day
・One medical room and four first-aid stations, each staffed with a medical doctor, a nurse, and a first-aid staff, will be set up in the stadium.
・The locations of the first-aid stations will be announced prior to kick-off, during halftime, and after the match.
・The medical office will respond to members of the team delegations, operational staff, VIP, and media.
5） Measures to be Taken at Training Sites
・An officer dispatched to each training site from the Kanagawa Football Association will deal with matters in collaboration with the team doctor and team liaison officer.
6） Actions and Measures Relating to the Media
・Applications Received from Overseas Media (as of 15 May)
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・The Chinese Football Association will take responsibility of the visas for the media of China PR. According to an official notice released from the Embassy of Japan in Beijing, a medical examination report must be presented when applying for a visa and, furthermore, an updated medical examination report must be presented upon receiving the visa.
・It is therefore estimated that the total number of media will be less than the 20 applied for.
・The English translation of this updated medical report is to be submitted to EAFF upon receiving a media AD card.
・Negotiations are taking place to have the media from China PR all stay at a hotel designated by EAFF.
・Media from Hong Kong-China will be issued an AD card upon presentation of an English medical examination report.
・Hand-wash alcohol disinfectant and gargle will be distributed to members of the media from China PR and Hong Kong-China.
・The EAFF media officer will receive a daily report from each member of the China PR and Hong Kong-China media in order to keep track of where they have visited.
7） Measures Applied to Fans Traveling from Abroad
・Football fans living abroad will not be able to purchase tickets via the Internet. Tickets are made available to overseas fans only through the Associations. As of the ticket application deadline of 15 April, there were 823 ticket purchasers in Korea, 8 in Hong Kong-China, and none in China.
・The eight ticket holders in Hong Kong-China won their tickets for the Final Competition during a lottery held in February during the Preliminary Competition in Hong Kong-China. These tickets will be applied to another football match played in Japan.
・There were five additional ticket purchasers in Hong Kong-China, who were traced and found to be government officials.
・In summary, as of 15 May the number of fans with tickets are as follows:China PR 0 / Hong Kong-China 0 / Korea Rep. 873
・Because of the difficulty of obtaining a visa for the purpose of attending a football match, as well as the fact that overseas fans are unable to purchase tickets in Japan, it is unlikely that there will be any fans coming from China PR.
・Although it is clear that there will be no fans coming from China PR and Hong Kong-China, updated information will be continuously obtained through each Association.
MANUAL for Precautionary Measures against SARS for the Participating Teams Prior to Departure
1.Each participating Association shall prepare such medical certificates under its full responsibility that prove status of health condition of all members of the delegation including players and officials during the period between 13 May when is due to the submission of a list of 30 players and a date which is a day before their departure. The medical certificates must be faxed to EAFF a day prior to the team's departure for Japan, whose original copies shall be handed to EAFF by the team on their arrival in Japan.
2.Each participating Association ensures that an individual medical certificate for each delegation member will be issued by Chairman of the Association's Sports Medical Committee or a doctor who will accompany the team to Japan. The individual medical certificates shall be submitted to EAFF with a letter from General Secretary of the Association a day before the team's departure for Japan.
3.Each participating Association must submit a list of entire members of the delegation signed by Chairman of the Association's Sports Medical Committee or a doctor who will travel to Japan with the team proving their health condition in case that it will not be able to submit an individual medical certificate.
Upon Departure
1.All members of the delegation will undertake medical inquiry and body temperature check if they are conducted at the airport.
2.Those who have a high fever, severe coughing and/or difficulty in breathing must cancel a trip to Japan.
Upon Entering Japan
1.Each member of the delegation must take body temperature on board or at an airport in Japan and answer medical inquiries (yellow paper). EAFF strongly requests each member to have an interview at a quarantine office at an arrival airport in Japan.
Throughout the Team's Stay in Japan
1.EAFF will provide each team with medical solution to disinfect/wash hands and gurgle. The delegation members (officials and players) will make it sure to wash hands and gurgle with the provided solution at the Official Stadium, training grounds and other places wherever they stay.
2.The officials and players must be checked body temperature everyday by their team doctor, who will report EAFF a daily medical check containing their body temperature and their respiratory condition.
3.In principle, the players and officials are not allowed to go out. They shall inform in advance their team doctor with where they will go, what transportation they will take and whom they will meet.
4.If any player or official finds himself having a high fever, severe coughing and/or difficulty in breathing, he will immediately inform it to his team doctor, who will then report it to EAFF Medical Liaison Officer for further instruction.
Appointment of EAFF Medical Liaison Officers and Meetings with the Team Doctor
1.EAFF will designate EAFF Medical Officer by the recommendation from the Sports Medical Committee of Japan Football Association.
2.EAFF Medical Liaison Officer will have a meeting with a team doctor upon team's arrival in the hotel to check health conditions of players and officials.
3.EAFF Medical Liaison Officer will have a meeting with a team doctor at 1000 hours every morning to obtain latest conditions of players and officials.
Updated Situation of the Participating Teams
China PR
1.Team members have been gathered to the National Training Centre on 11 May and will remain there in training until their departure to Japan (26 May). The NTC is located 80 km from Beijing and there has been no reported case of SARS in the particular area to date.
2.Before the team delegation members (players and officials) arrived at the NTC, the Chinese Football Association conducted a full medical examination and found that the results were normal.
3.The whole training period is closed and isolated, which means no person from outside can enter the site.
4.The team doctors check the temperature of all the delegation members twice a day, and immediate isolation will be taken if anyone is running a fever.
5.All delegation members stay in single rooms to avoid mutual infection.
6.All delegation members are taking Chinese herbs, which can improve the body's immune system.
7.The entire delegation will travel directly from the NTC to the airport and will not go into the downtown area of Beijing.
Hong Kong-China
1.The national team just finished their first training session, and none of the members showed any signs of illness during this time.
2.The second training session is scheduled to start on 15 May at the National Training Centre located three hours by car from Hong Kong-China and one hour away from Guzngzhou.
3.During the training session, no one is admitted from outside and the entire team is completely isolated.
4.The team doctor will take the temperature of weight of all the team members on a daily basis, and a complete physical examination will be conducted in the afternoon of 22 May.
5.The team delegation will leave the NTC on 23 May and travel to Hong Kong-China by bus, departing for Japan on 24 May.
Korea Rep.
1.The team is training at the National Football Centre between 12-15 May.
2.The final members of the national team will be decided during this training camp.
3.The players will return to their respective clubs and play in K-League matches between 17-25 May.
4.The team delegation will travel to Japan on 26 May.
