Bathhouses feel the heat |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/05/13 11:22 Shanghai Daily |
Reeling under the impact of SARS, half of Shanghai's big public bathing facilities as well as hundreds of small bathhouses have shut down, the Shanghai Bath Trade Association said yesterday. Although all bathing outlets have taken strict disinfection measures to curb the spread of SARS, clients still shun away from them. "Half of the city's more than 60 big public bathing facilities, catering to high-end customers, have closed since early May, and most of the 400 small bathhouses were ordered to shut down by district governments on safety grounds," Shi Youyi, association director, said yesterday. He added most of the facilities started to run in the red when SARS cases were first reported in Shanghai last month. Shanghai Yundu Spa Co Ltd, one of the major operators, said its three outlets have reported a 70 percent fall in revenue although frequent disinfection was being conducted and customers have their temperatures checked before they enter. Shanghai Daguanyuan Bath House closed three of its six outlets at the end of last month. "We posted a loss of more than 90,000 yuan (US,843) last month, and we are losing 1,000 yuan every day at the three open outlets," said Zhou Huiguo, a Daguanyuan official. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Commercial Commission yesterday unveiled stricter regulations for the bathing industry to prevent the spread of SARS. From now on, bathhouses are not allowed to stay open overnight and each customer's temperature has to be measured before he or she enters the facility. In addition, good indoor ventilation is a must at the bathhouses, which must also ensure the health of their staff. For those offering accommodation, they must follow tourism administra-tion's rules for hotels and pay special attention to out-of-town customers. |
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