The people of Hong Kong heaved an almost audible collective sigh of relief on Friday evening when the World Health Organisation lifted its travel advisory against the city - and the whole of Guangdong province.
For 52 days, Hong Kong had gone through a baptism of fire as other countries, understandably, took steps to protect themselves from the Sars virus. Still, it was an eye-opener for me to receive the following warning on the eve of a trip to the US for a vacation in Hawaii.
'Prepare yourself, my friend, for the reception you'll receive in the US,' a friend wrote. 'It won't be long before it feels like there's a bell hung around your neck along with a sign reading 'unclean!' You're better off saying you're from North Korea. It's also a pariah state but it's not contagious.'
As it happened, I was pretty lucky. Friends actually agreed to see me. However, there was one awkward moment when a fellow hotel guest asked me in the elevator where I was from, and I answered 'Hong Kong'. It was probably the worst possible situation for him, to be caught in a confined space with me. However, he was very polite and said nothing in response. Perhaps he was holding his breath.
It was thrilling after returning to Hong Kong to watch the number of daily infections drop from between 20 and 30 a day, down to the teens and on to single digits. Finally, on Saturday, the number of new cases fell to zero. I decided to take my family out to celebrate.
We went to the Sheung Wan Gala Point, known in Chinese simply as 'big open space' - Tai Dat Tei. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa was there on New Year's Day and referred to the area as an example of the government's attempt to develop the 'local community economy'.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was celebrated as the Poor Man's Nightclub, where all kinds of performers could be seen and all kinds of knick-knacks sold. I remember vividly having my fortune told there on one occasion and buying a lit-up yo-yo on another occasion when I took William Safire and his wife there.