Twenty-three people from Hong Kong and Taiwan were among the guests at a Shenzhen wedding after which the father of the groom was confirmed as suffering from Sars. Hong Kong's Health Department said yesterday it was approaching the Shenzhen health authorities to clarify the situation and see whether it could help to locate the Hong Kong guests. The 23 guests from Hong Kong and Taiwan were among 72 unlocated guests out of the 940 who attended the wedding on May 5 in Gongming township. The Gongming government said it could not give a breakdown on the number of guests from Hong Kong or Taiwan. A government official said they had located 868 guests already, but the rest, including those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, had still not been contacted and warned about the groom's father testing positive. 'We are now counting on the relatives of the host to help locate these people, as they are friends of his,' said the official. 'We don't know whether or not they have returned to Hong Kong or Taiwan. 'The township government is not in charge of contacting the [Hong Kong] special administrative region, but I think the [Shenzhen] government will do so,' he said. The groom's father has been identified as 54-year-old Chen Dicai, who is being treated at Donghu Hospital. A wedding guest has been classified as a highly suspect case after developing fever symptoms, said staff at Bao'an People's Hospital in Shenzhen. He was identified as Zhao Yuejia, who is under observation. Like Mr Chen, Mr Zhao will be sent to Donghu Hospital if he is confirmed as a Sars sufferer, the staff said. The Gongming official also confirmed that Xia village, where the groom's family lives, has been blockaded, with all residents required to wear masks. The Southern Metropolis News said the village administration had sent in patrols to keep outsiders away. The Hong Kong Commercial Daily yesterday said Gongming party boss Deng Jianping would face punishment for ignoring a ban on large gatherings during the outbreak. However, this could not be independently confirmed yesterday.
