Despite warnings on Monday by SIA and Cathay Pacific that people with flu-like symptoms may not be allowed to check in, nobody was turned away from the counters at Changi airport yesterday.
Mr Martin Freibergs, 26, a purchaser from Sweden, had stopped over in Hongkong for three days before coming to Singapore. He was going back to Hongkong on Cathay Pacific before returning to Sweden. He had a very hoarse voice, a sore throat, and was coughing.
'You hear my voice? I am worried. I will go to a doctor for an examination once I get back to Sweden,' he said.
But he added that he hadn't considering cancelling his trip.
Neither did the counter staff stop him from checking in or ask any questions.
Cathay Pacific Airways had copies of the WHO travel advisory on its counters for passengers to pick up if they wanted to.
In a bygone era he would be travelling salesman plying pots and pans or some such. Reminds me of accounts from 13th and 14th centuries regarding the spread of the Plague. Also neatly complements the old movies' depiction of Europeans' age old fear of travellers and new visitors.
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