Beijing celebrates as WHO lifts travel warning

THE World Health Organisation lifted its travel warning against Beijing yesterday, giving a clean bill of health to the capital of the nation where the SARS outbreak began.

Beijing was the last place in the world under a WHO advisory urging travellers to avoid nonessential travel because of concerns about severe acute respiratory syndrome, which first surfaced in southern China in November.

Toronto and Taiwan remain on a WHO list of places with recent local transmissions of the disease, but travel advisories against them have been lift.