SHENZHEN Customs has joined hands with other law enforcement agencies at the city’s checkpoints to take effective measures to protect Shenzhen against the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, the customs department said yesterday.

    Contingency plans have been made and the customs authority is on high alert for people from countries where there has been an Ebola outbreak, especially the worst-hit countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

    The Ebola virus, which kills as many as 90 percent of those it infects, has been spreading in West Africa.

    A foreign traveler from Africa was pulled aside for an inspection at Luohu Checkpoint yesterday. Sporting gloves and wearing masks, Customs officers inquired about the nationality of the traveler, his last destination and what he was carrying with him.

    Meanwhile, another traveler was asked to open his suitcase and two officers, one from customs and another from quarantine, checked it together.

    The customs department said it is working closely with the quarantine authority to strengthen inspections. Emergency control measures, such as disinfection and isolation for observation, will be taken once a suspected case is detected, department officials said.

    Similar measures are also taken at other checkpoints in Shenzhen, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

    Customs officers said fast lanes have been set up for anti-Ebola medications and materials as well as medical teams assigned to fight the virus. (SD News)