Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa also paid tribute to the strong Hong Kong spirit in a recent press briefing: "I have seen a tremendous community spirit fighting this disease, and we are receiving a great many constructive suggestions as to how to go about it. The press, on the whole, has been supportive and we are working together to find solutions."

"Yes, you should be careful and take all precautions as advised by your medical advisor, but no, you don't have to panic and flee Hong Kong," long-term Hong Kong resident and author Nury Vittachi wrote in a Far Eastern Economic Review column. His upbeat article, titled "And Now the Good News", pointed out that more than 99.99 per cent of Hong Kong people are completely free of the Sars virus.

"The media may call it a killer virus, but the survival rate among those infected in clusters is 96 per cent. All outbreaks of any high-profile pathogen or disease have two major effects. A tiny proportion of people are hit by the disease itself. A large number of people, organisations and industry are hit by the panic that accompanies it. Stay calm and stay healthy!" wrote Mr Vittachi. 

The South China Morning Post editorial on 3rd April 2003 stated: "Like a particularly violent typhoon, the virus is passing over us and will ultimately be gone. The disease is spreading at a faster rate than anyone would like and causes serious ill-effects. So the need to control its spread is critical. But while it is lethal, it is not remarkably so, and medical opinion seems united that good hygiene can keep it under control."

The editorial also commented on the economic effects of the virus. "Most economists look at the virus as a step down in a regional economy which is otherwise reasonably strong. In one study, JP Morgan Chase found that Hong Kong's gross domestic product, in nominal terms, has not declined at all since the economic crisis of 1997-98. JP Morgan economist argued that Hong Kong is doing even better than the numbers show, based on the profits that Hong Kong companies are making from their factories on the mainland."

"We should remember the other types of storms we have weathered. It was calm, strategy and forbearance that got us through them. We must summon such reserves again. We have a good chance to work together as a united community to beat a common foe," the editorial concluded.

Related links:
Far Eastern Economic Review www.feer.com
South China Morning Post www.scmp.com