It is obvious by now that severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) is very much related to our basic daily hygiene. We are gradually dropping the speculation that this epidemic has come from other, less believable sources.
The government initiative to urge people to cleanup our city is excellent, and it is admirable to see the community contributing to this effort. It is encouraging to see people queuing at the basin outside a restaurant toilet to wash their hands before a meal.
But we must now open our eyes to a different dilemma: the government's shortsightedness in targeting a higher population for Hong Kong.
Recent events have surely highlighted the fact that the current infrastructure and accommodation of this city cannot sustain further growth - without affecting the sanitation and living conditions of our whole community.
Allied to an effort on this front should be new requirements limiting the height of buildings, increasing the distance between them and, most important, expanding the space devoted to each unit.
Even when scientists discover an effective treatment for Sars or a vaccine, that is not the solution. The main issue is that we must reduce the influx of people into Hong Kong or other severe conditions will eventually ambush us.
