Hong Kong's Mai Po Nature Reserve will be closed for 21 days as a dead Peregrine Falcon infected with the H5 virus was found earlier this month, a government official said Wednesday.

Speaking after chairing the Inter-Departmental Action Coordinating Committee, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Carrie Yau said the government will review the situation in mid-April.

The committee has checked the government's precautionary measures against avian influenza and related public education efforts. It has also taken stock of the government's overall preparedness in the light of the latest development, including recent human avian influenza cases in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Yau said the government will step up its efforts in disease surveillance and public education, such as launching new public interest announcements and conducting district-level briefings.

People should remain vigilant and maintain good personal and environmental hygiene, as they play a key part in the government's overall preparedness planning and preventive work against avian influenza, she said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2006)