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Hong Kong off WHO's tainted list
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/06/24 11:11  Shanghai Daily

  The World Health Organization removed Hong Kong from its list of SARS-infected areas yesterday, but warned the territory to keep its guard against future outbreaks.

  Hong Kong's great concern is to avoid a repeat of what happened in Toronto, where a new outbreak was discovered after Canada's largest city was taken off the WHO's list. Two people died of SARS on Sunday in Toronto.

  Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said the territory was "happy" about the WHO announcement, but he expressed sadness over nearly 300 deaths from the disease and cautioned, "this could come again."

  Hong Kong's removal from the list was expected. Sunday was the 20th day since the last confirmed SARS patient in Hong Kong was put in isolation in a hospital, the condition that qualified the city to be taken off the list.

  Only Beijing, Taiwan and Toronto remain on the list following the ebbing worldwide of the SARS crisis since its peak in March and April. "Hong Kong, with its dense population and fluid border with China's main-land, had one of the hardest outbreaks to control. This success means that the whole world can now feel safer from the SARS threat," Dr David Heymann, chief of communicable diseases at the Geneva-based WHO, said in a statement.

  Tung marked the occasion by visiting Amoy Gardens, a crowded housing estateswheresmore than 300 people fell sick with SARS before strict quarantines brought an outbreak there under control. "Every time I think about those who passed away or sacrificed their lives because of SARS I feel a great deal of sorrow," Tung said.

  A total of 296 people have died from severe acute res-piratory syndrome in Hong Kong, out of 1,755 sickened by the flu-like disease.

  At the height of the out-break, hundreds of thou-sands of Hong Kong resi-dents terrified of catching SARS wore surgical masks, avoided crowded public places and virtually stopped dining out or shopping for anything but necessities.

  That, coupled with a virtual halt to tourism, devastated the already ailing local economy, pushing unemployment to a record 8.3 percent.

  Most Hong Kongers have now given up the masks. Yesterday, some schools held "unmasking" events to mark the city's removal from the WHO list.

  Still, education authorities were keeping temperature checks for students in place and urging schools to continue swabbing down with bleach.

  Many public buildings installed dispensers of anti-bacterial spray for hands, and hand-washing facilities in many public toilets have been improved - part of a health drive aimed at pre-venting the spread of SARS.

  Tung said Hong Kong is now set to muster all its strength to revitalize the economy.

  The Hong Kong Tourism Board yesterday announced a wide-ranging program that will be staged over the next nine months to generate a recovery in tourism.

  HKTB Chairman Selina Chow said she expects the number of visitor arrivals will pick up in the next three months.

  Hong Kong's biggest air-liner Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it will give away more than 10,000 free tickets to support the effort.




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