Dec 22, 1999 - 08:31 AM

China Plans Three-Day Holiday to Minimize Y2K Disruptions The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) - China has ordered a three-day New Year's holiday and prohibited foreign ships from entering Chinese ports for two days to minimize disruptions from possible Y2K computer failures, the state-run China Daily reported Wednesday. Under the order from the cabinet, or State Council, China is expanding the usual one-day holiday. China's last day of business for 1999 will be Dec. 30 and government agencies and businesses won't reopen until Jan. 3, the newspaper said.

Having geared up belatedly, Beijing has focused on critical agencies and industries, leaving many business and local governments unprepared.

The Ministry of Communications, which oversees railroads and shipping, announced only Tuesday that its computer systems were free of Y2K bugs, the China Daily said. But in a sign of how unsure the ministry is, the newspaper said foreign ships will not be allowed to enter Chinese ports from Dec. 30-Jan. 1.

Y2K computer glitches may occur if older computers and microchips that use only two digits to mark the year mistake the "00" in 2000 for 1900. Systems may garble data or crash.

China's banking sector, which is better prepared, earlier this year asked the State Council for permission to end the year's business a day early on Dec. 30 to alleviate any problems.

Banks have been ordered to keep paper or magnetic tape records to check against computer data when systems are restarted in 2000.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 22, 1999

Answers

"prohibited foreign ships from entering Chinese ports for two days"

Guess they don't import much food or oil then?

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.