China struggles to contain Sars

China has introduced a series of new measures to combat Sars as the virus continues to spread throughout the country.

Authorities in the capital, Beijing, have quarantined an estimated 8,000 people, and shut down all the city's cinemas, theatres and karaoke bars.

Health officials said on Monday that three more people in the city had died of the disease - with a further five deaths in other parts of the Chinese mainland.

It may already be too late to stop Sars spreading throughout China, says a BBC correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.

The disease has already reached 26 of China's 30 other provinces, major cities and regions, since first appearing in Guangdong in November.

The total Chinese death toll is now 139, and the number of cases 3,106.

The worst affected areas are Guangdong, Beijing, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.

Extensive checks

The Sars virus is bringing life in Beijing to a virtual halt, our correspondent says.

In addition to the closure of entertainment venues, three hospitals have now been closed, and work is under way on a special 1,000-bed isolation ward on the outskirts of the city.

Throughout China, authorities are stepping up precautions

Air passengers are undergoing extensive checks, and police have even begun checking car drivers and passengers for Sars.

The city has now recorded 59 deaths - more than any other area of the country, including Guangdong.

Other provinces are also stepping up security measures in an effort to prevent the virus' spread.

Many have promised free medical care for Sars patients, and embarked on programmes to raise awareness of the disease, according to Chinese media reports.

In Inner Mongolia, where seven people have died from Sars, all libraries, museums and internet cafes were closed on Monday.

In Anhui, the city of Fuyang has shut many of its entertainment venues, after four Sars cases were recently discovered, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The mayor of the city, Liu Qingqiang, said he was determined to "control Sars at all costs".

On Monday, deaths were recorded for the first time in Hebei and Gansu provinces.

In Hebei, just south of Beijing, certain areas have banned "unnecessary vehicles" coming from the capital.

In Hangzhou city in the eastern Zhejiang province, more than 1,000 people have been quarantined, the China Daily newspaper reported.

And in the central city of Changsha, despite the fact that no Sars cases have yet been found there, the Communist Party secretary and six other officials have been fired for failing to implement effective prevention measures, according to the People's Daily.