bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Sarah Monks

Part 1 Hong Kong's experience
It was the run on white vinegar, herbal remedies and antibiotics in Guangzhou that first hinted at something seriously amiss over the border in early 2003.
For weeks, text messages had fanned rumours of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness killing medical workers in Guangzhou. At first, Hong Kong was bemused by talk of Guangzhou residents boiling vinegar to fumigate their homes. But by the second week of February, white vinegar was flying off the shelves of supermarkets in Hong Kong.
So began the saga of what became known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), the first severe infectious disease to emerge in the 21st century and pose a global threat to health.
The disease is thought to have had its roots in Foshan, Guangdong province, in November 2002. By August 2003, the killer virus had spread to 29 countries or regions, with 8,098 cases and 774 deaths reported. In economic terms, Sars cost East Asian economies about US$20 to US$25 billion, according to the World Bank.
An official Hong Kong Sars inquiry marks March 10 as the date the local epidemic began, when 11 health-care workers from ward 8A of Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin all went on sick leave. The epidemic lasted three months and infected 1,755 individuals, including 386 health-care workers. Of the 299 people who died, eight were health-care workers. Hong Kong was an eerie city of masks, empty streets and fear as it suffered its worst contagious outbreak in 50 years.
Much has been published about how the crisis unfolded and what was learned. At the time, Sars was a terrifying mystery. The world was initially kept in the dark about the seriousness of the outbreak in Guangdong, a stance  Beijing later changed. There were even rumours the virus might be a bio-terror attack. Nobody knew what caused the pneumonia-like disease, how it was spread or how long victims remained infectious. There was no diagnostic test.
Hong Kong initially moved to calm rising fears about the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in Guangdong. Yeoh Eng-kiong, the secretary for health  and welfare at the time, said on February 11 of that year: 'We understand ... that there have been about 300 cases of which there are five fatalities. But many of the infections have been mild and there is no need for people to worry and to panic.'
Hong Kong, the mainland and the World Health Organisation had been on alert for some time but  for a different  disease - bird flu (the H5N1 virus). On February 17, 2003, bird flu claimed its first human victim in Hong Kong since six people died of the disease in 1997 - a 33-year-old man who had visited relatives in Fujian province .
Medical experts worried about Hong Kong's state of readiness. An associate professor in the department of microbiology at Chinese University warned on February 20: 'We are not prepared for an epidemic.' With only a few isolation wards,  he said: 'You cannot create them in one day.'
A senior WHO official in Tokyo voiced unhappiness at the way mainland officials were handling the bird flu incident in Fujian and recent pneumonia outbreak in Guangdong. 'We are worried that it is the beginning of an epidemic,' he said.
On February 21, a 64-year-old medical professor from Guangzhou arrived in Hong Kong with his wife to attend a relative's wedding. They stayed one night in room 911 of the Metropole Hotel in Mong Kok. The following day - five years ago today - the professor, who had treated atypical pneumonia patients in hospital in Guangzhou, sought treatment at Kwong Wah Hospital, where he was admitted with severe pneumonia. He died on March 4.
For the next couple of weeks Guangdong's fatal 'atypical pneumonia' outbreak all but vanished from view as other concerns dominated Hong Kong headlines, including final preparations for the war in Iraq and the proposed Article 23 security legislation.
Then  the onslaught began in earnest. On March 12, the South China Morning Post ran a headline: 'Ward isolated after hospital staff fall ill with mysterious flu'. The article detailed the sudden  illness of medical workers in Ward 8A of Prince of Wales Hospital. Contact-tracing connected the  outbreak to the Metropole Hotel. The Guangzhou professor was identified as the index case for the chain of outbreaks in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Vietnam that was spread through infected hotel guests and visitors.
As Hong Kong case numbers soared towards the end of March - spiking at more than 100 new patients per day on March 24 and 25 - fears mounted that the  public hospital system would be overwhelmed.
'It is a holocaust. It is a war with an unknown enemy. My hands have shaken for two nights. It is the worst medical disaster I have ever seen,' said Sydney Chung Sheung-chee, who at the time was Chinese University dean of medicine at  Prince of Wales Hospital. He had earlier challenged suggestions by health chief  Dr Yeoh  that the disease had not spread to the community.
The worst community outbreak, at the Amoy Gardens estate in densely populated Kwun Tong, sparked days of terror amid fears  the virus might  be airborne, which was later disproved.  This added to fears that the isolation and evacuation of Amoy Gardens Block E residents might have been bungled, allowing Sars to spread.
There were also fears emerging that the anti-viral drug  ribavirin, used to treat the most serious cases, would cause harmful, long-term side effects. A nervous populace was also rattled by rumours that Hong Kong would be treated like a 'plague city' and its borders closed. When the new  coronavirus identified as the cause of Sars was linked to wild civet cats, fear spread that household cats could carry the disease.
At the height of the outbreak, Hong Kong's domestic economy was devastated. Malls, restaurants and cinemas were deserted as people avoided public places, stayed at home or spent their weekends in outlying areas. April retail sales were down 15.2 per cent from the previous year. The airport resembled a ghost town as visitor arrivals plummeted from 1.3 million in March to 500,000 in April and 400,000 in May. Hotel occupancy rates collapsed from 79 per cent in March to 22 per cent in April and 18 per cent in May.
By contrast, the external economy firmly held its ground. Despite disruption to trade shows and other face-to-face business contacts, Pearl River Delta production was unfazed and exports continued to grow.
The Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy at the University of Hong Kong later noted that the Hang Seng Index dropped by only 1.78 per cent between March 12 (when the WHO raised the global alert) and April 30.
With the closure of schools, significant numbers of expatriate mothers and their children left Hong Kong to wait out the time in non-Sars affected countries. Some were cooped up in hotels for 10 days as relatives insisted they quarantine themselves.
Daily life in Hong Kong carried on in a subdued fashion. Rush hours were quieter and many employees worked offsite under contingency plans to keep operations going should their  offices be hit by Sars.
The  cleaning of the city and tackling of 'black spots' by government hygiene teams was applauded. Temperature checks at  borders provided reassurance, along with mats soaked in disinfectant at the entrances to office buildings, and regular disinfection of lifts. Homes were aired and thoroughly cleaned with  bleach. Personal hygiene habits changed for the better, with regular hand-washing and wearing of masks if unwell. Any unguarded sneeze or cough drew accusing looks.
While government wrestled with the crisis, civil society came to the fore. Community groups,  business chambers and the media organised campaigns to overcome fear, provide comfort and bolster confidence. These ranged from raising money for N95 masks for medical staff to helping children of Sars victims and planning activities that would speed Hong Kong's eventual recovery.
When the WHO lifted its travel advisory on Hong Kong on May 23 the celebrations were brief. There was work to be done to get  the city back on its feet. The Trade Development Council staged an extra trade show in July to make up for the disrupted spring events. The  government's HK$1 billion Economic Relaunch Programme went into high gear, aimed at 'restoring Hong Kong's reputation and communicating Hong Kong's recovery to the world'. The plan eventually included the controversial Harbour Fest concerts staged in October and November at Tamar with The Rolling Stones, Jose Carreras, Prince, Neil Young and others.
The recovery defied initial alarmist predictions of prolonged damage from Sars. By the end of August, the number of passenger flights was nearly back to pre-Sars levels. Hotel occupancy was up to 71 per cent by early July. Retail sales reached their pre-outbreak levels by the end of July.
Property prices began rising from the August low point as homebuyers looked for bargains. The economy was further buoyed by more good news from Beijing about the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement  and individual visits by mainland tourists.
The Sars epidemic in Hong Kong was officially declared over on June 23, when the WHO removed the city from the list of areas with recent local Sars transmission. With relief came much soul-searching.
In October, the independent Sars Expert Committee appointed by  the then chief executive Tung  Chee-hwa reported its findings and recommendations. Co-chairs Sir Cyril Chantler and Professor Sian Griffiths,  both from Britain, noted the extraordinary service, hard work, attention to duty and acceptance of responsibility shown by  many during the outbreak.
In their covering letter they also wrote that there were system failures in the response to the epidemic, particularly in the early phase. 'Lessons must be learnt, and there is much that needs to be done to strengthen the public health function, to improve the co-ordination of the different parts of the health sector, to provide clarity in roles and responsibilities and to improve communications.'
The independent  think-tank Civic Exchange, which produced a book on the Sars outbreak, said in its 2003 annual report that at a time of crisis, Hong Kong people proved they could be generous, compassionate,  co-operative and professional. 'The experience gave Hong Kong people back their sense of dignity and pride, which has suffered in recent years as a result of self doubt and uncertainty about how Hong Kong fits into a rapidly modernising China,' wrote chief executive officer  Christine Loh Kung-wai.
'The Sars outbreak also helped Hong Kong people to see which aspects of life were truly important to them. These included the ability to question authority, a free media and an independent and dedicated medical profession.'



Outbreak of fear

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories