When a 14-year-old schoolboy posted a hoax bulletin on local news website on April Fool's Day saying Hong Kong was about to be declared a Sars-infected port, senior officials perhaps sensed there was worse to come.
As he was busy creating mayhem with his computer in his parents' Tai Po flat, the World Health Organisation executives in Geneva were putting their heads together preparing for an important announcement.
A day later the WHO issued an unprecedented travel advisory on Hong Kong, dragging an already battered economy to a standstill.
The travel advisory, which told the world that Hong Kong was no longer a safe place to visit, has been branded a 'curse'' on the city.
For the past seven weeks, travellers have been scared away, leaving Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific with only 30 per cent of its normal business; restaurant owners with empty tables; and - on one particularly bad day - the famous 300-room Peninsula Hotel with only nine guests to serve.
Since the travel advisory was imposed, Hong Kong officials have found themselves engaged in a bitter diplomatic battle with the Geneva-based WHO, the United Nations' top health body.
