[Steel Wolf]

This is almost reminiscient of the old Twilight Zone episode where the neighborhood suspects that an alien is living among them, and in the resulting panic they wind up turning on themselves. Even if the disease itself only causes a low level of casualties, it seems most of the damage will come from the effects of fear and paranoia.

[xJones]

In a step bound to cause major personal and economic disruptions, Taiwan has banned visits by people from the four places with the most SARS cases - mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada, Prime Minister Yu Shyi-kun said today.

As an aside, this Taiwanese ban, lumping Canada in with China, Hong Kong, and Singapore will probably have the Canadians grinding their teeth even harder. The Torontonians were howling already at being put on the WHO travel advisory warning list. They think they have it under control, and it's hurting their tourism.

[ricpic]

The whole country is in the position of that Sopranos charachter: "I was almost out, and they pulled me back in."

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

...In addition to the isolation of thousands of people who came into contact with SARS patients, the city now has closed down Internet bars, movie theaters, dancing halls and other public venues...

[Betty Jo]

This village has the right idea except that one of the barricaders has come home to the village from school in ....Beijing!

The enemy within.

Was the girl in a 15 day quarantine before she came into the village?

If not,does she in fact have SARS?

Is the gatekeeper right now spreading SARS to her village?

[anniegetyourgun]

Gives new meaning to "the forbidden city", eh?

[aristeides]

Sounds like anarchy is developing in China. The Communist leadership will have to use force to restore order, or else it will probably soon lose power. Somebody said on a thread the other day (I think it may have been Thud) that the Communists have lost the mandate of heaven.

[Ditter]

A friend of mines daughter lives in Singapore. The daughter has been closed up in her house with her children for weeks. She told her mother she is thinking about coming home. I don't think I will be visiting my friend for a while. I wonder if there will be restrictions on her returning here.

[CathyRyan]

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200304/28/eng20030428_115916.shtml

The foreign media is creating unnecessary panic about the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China with its sensationalist reporting, said Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes Sunday in Shanghai.

Mr Fernandes said he believes there is a "hidden'' agenda behind the "news noise of SARS.''

The visiting defence minister in Shanghai made the remarks in an interview with the Indian media, China News Service reported Sunday.

Mr Fernandes said that Shanghai, for example, had only two confirmed SARS cases among its 17 million residents as of April 24.

Yet in Africa, about 3,000 children died from cholera every day, he said, citing World Health Organization figures.

SARS has been reported on excessively by television, radio and newspapers.

The minister noted that all members of his delegation to China are willing to undergo health checks to show the worldthat there is no need topanic over SARS in Shanghai.

[aristeides]

Interesting article in the Sunday Washington Post about the political background of Red China's SARS decisions: China's Crisis Has A Political Edge Leaders Use SARS to Challenge Recalcitrant Parts of Government .