Eyewitness: Hong Kong under Sars

Lee Shin-mui's mother has put her trust in eating lots of fruit

Hong Kong has been badly hit by the deadly Sars virus. Resident Lee Shin-mui tells BBC News Online how daily life has changed.

Eat another orange - it'll keep the "pneumonia germs" away, my mother says, handing me a peeled fruit at breakfast.

Apart from oranges, she also tries to feed me kiwi fruits. Why? Because they are rich in vitamin C.

With the death toll due to Sars rising every day, my mother does what she can to keep her children healthy.

"Vitamin C boosts the immune system," she says.

Ever since the Sars virus became news over a month ago, every aspect of my life has changed. Not just the food I eat, but also the way I work, the things I do, and even the way I think.

On one stormy night watching the news, I remember thinking: "If I have to imagine what the end of the world will be like, this would be it."

The evening news showed eerie images of empty streets, restaurants and shopping centres, as well as footage of a weeping mother. She was worried about her young children and had heard rumours that Sars patients were living nearby.

In recent days, however, the hysteria has passed and the gloom has eased. Bulletins of the disease's spread report that the number of people recovering each day now outnumbers new infections.

Today, for example, an additional 30 confirmed cases were announced, while 45 people were discharged.

This week some 200,000 secondary school students returned to classes, though some principals told students to stay at home.

I just hope we are not being optimistic prematurely.

My neighbourhood

At a supermarket on Saturday, shoppers crowded every corner. "I've never seen so many people here before," I overheard a woman saying.

Many were buying food to take to the countryside for picnics and barbeques.

"This lift is cleaned not less than 10 times a day," the sign says

People want to get a breath of fresh air, and to get away from the city.

In my neighbourhood, there have been three confirmed cases of Sars. Although each one seems to get closer to my home, I don't know anyone who has fallen victim.

The buttons in the lift of our building - one of the 99 blocks of 20-storey flats in our housing estate - are disinfected at least 10 times a day.

Before stepping inside our home, we wipe our feet on a red carpet onto which bleach is poured regularly.

With frequent reminding from TV, newspaper, radio and posters, I now wash my hands at least 15 to 20 times a day and wear a mask when I go to crowded places. My mother wipes our flat with diluted bleach every day.

Yet many of my friends were never fazed by what has been described as "deadly" and "mysterious". They think the whole situation has been blown out of proportion.

They cite infection and mortality figures of "old" diseases. Over 3,000 people died from pneumonia, 11,200 from cancer, and about 10,900 died from heart diseases in 2000, according to the Hong Kong Medical Association.

So what we're seeing with SARS is just part of life and is nothing to fret about, they say.

For people who are not worried, Hong Kong has become a nicer place to live.

"Going to the movies is a dream now - no advance ticket purchases on a Sunday, no lines for concessions, no mobile phones going off, etc. I love it!" said Mike Creasy, a US expatriate who has been in Hong Kong for two years.

The whole of Hong Kong now seems cleaner and more aware of personal hygiene

That's because Mike is young and therefore fearless, says an older English friend. All the people with children he knows fled the territory yonks ago.

The whole of Hong Kong now seems cleaner and more aware of personal hygiene.

Over the Easter weekend, hundreds of thousands who didn't flock to the countryside supported cleaning initiatives in the hope of wiping Hong Kong free of germs.

The way the city works has also changed for many. Thousands, including myself, now work from home instead of in the office.

"Only come in if you have to," my employer tells me. "Avoid travelling and public places."

Working from home, of course, means more time at home.

For me, that means seeing my mother all the time. If she tells me to eat another piece of fruit I'll flip. I had not spent so much time with my mother for a very long time.

To keep calm, I remind myself of words from family advocates: time at home with family is very important and valuable.

In Hong Kong, many family problems stem from long working hours and lack of communication at home, said Wong Lai-cheung, a supervisor at the Chai Wan Baptist Church Counselling Centre.

Overworked people tend to become impatient and agitated easily¿ They could not relieve their stress in the workplace and often vented it on their families.

Sounds familiar. So as my mother force-feeds the third orange of the day, I take a deep breath, and simply accept the fruit.