MY overall view of this situation is on a different plane than yours - therefore the questions you pose based are based 'from that plane' either a) do not have the relevancy (as I see it) or b) are posed in such a nature that prohibits an acceptable answer *outside* 'that other plane'.
I also think that you don't consider a variety of other factors, factors such as the necessary control of the civilian population to prevent en masse exodus from, say Beijing, into the other parts of the country. It *is* requisite that some controls be exercised on the people - be it outright quarantine *OR* voluntary restriction to their own neighborhoods, towns, villages and even, in the case of student populations - their dormitories. This 'voluntary' cooperation can be elicited in a variety of ways, including the use of the press (media) in their country ... to wit, some of the 'hopeful' messages referring to vaccines that may be available in the near future for SARS, and this is not an idle 'hope' as opposed to the spread of ill-informed gossip that must be prevalent on the streets of China right about now ...