INTERNATIONAL. Here you may view the second part of our SARS coverage, covering April 2003, as the outbreak tightened its grip on travel-related businesses.
UPDATE 30 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 30: 372
Number infected worldwide as at April 30: 5,663
New cases since last WHO report: 211
The first death was reported in Taiwan, where the number of probable SARS cases has more than doubled, from 37 to 78, over the past week. Macao SAR reported its first probable case today.
UPDATE 28 APRIL
Outbreaks of SARS have peaked in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, but not in China, where the virus first emerged last year, the World Health Organization said today. The disease was on the rise in China, with 139 SARS deaths and more than 3,000 cases, and the “unknown question” in the equation, it added. At least 327 people around the world have now died from the disease and more than 5,000 people have been infected.
The disease also claimed its first victim in another Asian country. A man classified as a probable SARS case has died in Indonesia. SARS killed 12 more people in Hong Kong on Sunday. But there were only 16 new cases, lower than the daily average of 20 to 30 reported in the past few weeks. China today reported nine new SARS fatalities, raising the mainland’s death toll to 140, and said it has 3,106 people confirmed to be infected.
The SARS outbreak is already costing the world nearly US$30 billion, according to a report in the latest edition of Time magazine. In Asia, where SARS has hit hardest, economists predict that China and South Korea could each lose as much as US$2 billion in tourism revenue, retail sales and productivity as a direct result of the disease. Japan and Hong Kong stand to lose around US$1 billion each, according to Time. The report also found that Toronto was haemorrhaging US$30 million a day.
UPDATE 26 APRIL
As of today, a cumulative total of 4,836 cases with 293 deaths have occurred in 26 countries. This represents an increase of 190 new cases and 19 deaths compared with yesterday, the WHO said. The new deaths occurred in Canada (3), China (7), Hong Kong SAR (6), the Philippines (1), and Singapore (2).
UPDATE 25 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 25: 274
Number infected worldwide as at April 18: 4,649
New cases since last WHO report: 210
As of today, a cumulative total of 4,649 cases with 274 deaths have been reported from 26 countries, according to the World Health Organization. This represents an additional 210 cases and 11 deaths when compared with yesterday. The new deaths were reported in China (5) and Hong Kong SAR (6).
In China, the Ministry of Health has today informed WHO of 180 newly reported probable cases. The breakdown by location is Beijing (103), Inner Mongolia (23), Guangdong (15), Tianjin (13), Hebei (12), Shanxi (11), and one case each in Henan, Guangxi, and Sichuan. These latest figures bring the cumulative number of probable cases reported in China to 2601. Among health workers, a total of 38 new probable cases were reported from Beijing (17), Tianjin (9), Hebei (5), Inner Mongolia (5), Shanxi (1), and Guangdong (1).
Beijing reported 3 deaths, Shanxi 1, and Guangdong 1, bringing the cumulative number of deaths in China to 115. The fact that cases continue to occur in health workers underscores the need for better infection control in hospitals. In Beijing, WHO is still awaiting data giving dates of onset and the location of cases in order to fully assess the situation.
UPDATE 22 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 22: 229
Number infected worldwide as at April 18: 3,947
New cases since last WHO report: 89
SOUTH KOREA. With Asia’s tourism industry hit hard by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the four duty free operators at Seoul Incheon International airport are struggling to cope. Local reports said almost all products are currently being sold at discounted prices of 10-70% off. “We are selling bags and garments with discounts of up to 70% and foreign liquor at 20-30% discounts,” said a spokesman for one operator. “Due to the SARS emergency, we have no choice but to swallow losses in order to reduce inventories through bargain sales.”
HONG KONG. The Airport Authority (AA) warned this week that SARS was severely affecting business at Hong Kong International airport. More than 30% of flights had been cancelled and sales and passenger throughput have been down by more than 60% in recent days. The authority said it was urgently looking at introducing a package of rent relief measures. Hong Kong’s decline in passengers began in the second weekend of March, and flights started being cancelled the following week as the extent of the SARS epidemic became known. The effect of the war in Iraq on international air traffic also compounded the problem. The decline in flights and passengers accelerated dramatically after the World Health Organization warned travellers in early April to postpone visits to Hong Kong and southern China.
AA said the impact has worsened considerably since the start of April. The number of passengers has been declining almost every day this month, from just over 54,300 on 1 April to 31,700 on 10 April. This compares with a daily average of 98,600 for the same period last year. At the same time the number of daily sheduled flights has dropped from 547 to 416, compared with a daily average of 561 last year. AA ceo David Pang last week warned that SARS has dampened people’s confidence to travel by air. “We are feeling the impact in a strong way already,” he said. “We are trimming costs as best we can, but the reality is that a large percentage of our expenses are fixed costs.”
“We understand that all our business partners are going through a difficult time. The whole airport community must band together to lessen the impact SARS is having on our industry,” Pang said.
Hong Kong’s passenger throughput in March was 2.52 million, down -14.4% year-on-year
MALAYSIA. According to reports over the weekend Malaysia Airports Holding (MAHB) has recorded a -40% drop in duty free business due to SARS and the Iraq war. MAHB chairman Tan Sri Basir Ismail said the number of passengers had dropped by about -30% and flights by -40%. “We have suffered about a -40% drop in sales at our duty free shops as fewer people are stopping to shop or eat at the airport premises.” He said the number of flights from Europe had declined as SARS had been detected there recently. “We hope the recent announcement by the Health Ministry lifting travel restrictions on visitors from Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan will help increase flights here. However, it depends on whether people there want to come here,” said Basir.
UPDATE 21 APRIL
ASIA. In a crippling development for much of Asia’s tourism industry, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis worsened drastically this weekend with serious escalations in China, Hong Kong and Singapore. And Toronto, Canada also saw a major deterioration in the battle to get the virus under control. The worst news came from China where two of the country’s top authorities were sacked amid allegations that the truth about the epidemic had been covered up. China admitted yesterday that 79 people have died from SARS with 1807 confirmed cases nationwide. Official World Health Organization figures on Friday had put the total number of SARS cases on the mainland at 1,482 with 65 deaths.
China’s health minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing mayor Meng Xuenong have been sacked from their top Communist Party positions, state press said on Sunday. Mr Zhang has been widely criticised since he told a press conference early this month that SARS had been put “under control”. A staggering 339 new cases have been reported in Beijing alone. Prior to the announcement, authorities had claimed there were just 44 cases in Beijing.
But it wasn’t just China which generated disturbing news. In Singapore, the government yesterday upped the ante in its war against SARS, imposing tough new measures and establishing a ministerial “combat team”. Putting the country on a firmer war footing against the deadly virus, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said this had to be an “all-out fight” because the stakes were so high in what could be the country’s worst crisis ever. Underlining how seriously the government is approaching the issue, he described SARS, which had infected 172 people and claimed 16 lives by Friday, as “the invisible enemy, a bio-terrorist”.
Besides taking lives, Sars is costing the economy more than S$1.5 billion in lost business, he said, as people stay away from the country and locals stay at home instead of shopping and eating out. “It’s not just a crisis of SARS; it is a crisis of fear,” he noted. If fear continues to take hold in Singapore and elsewhere, leading to the collapse of the economy, “we will all be killed”, he said.
The Prime Minister’s message gained greater urgency when news broke on Saturday night that a cluster linked to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre (Singapore’s main distribution point for imported fruits and vegetables) might be emerging. The Wholesale Market will be shut for 10 days following the discovery of two SARS cases there on Saturday. All 2,400 people who could have been exposed to the virus at the market have been put under a 10-day quarantine. The market outbreak is the first time that a large number of people in Singapore run the risk of being exposed to the virus outside of hospitals.
In Canada, the country hardest hit outside Asia with 14 SARS deaths reported by Saturday, health authorities in Toronto were looking at a possible preventive quarantine of residential buildings and even entire neighbourhoods to contain the outbreak, CBC television reported. Most of the Canadian cases have been in and around Toronto, Canada’s largest city.
In Hong Kong, a record 12 people died of SARS on Saturday with seven deaths recorded yesterday, bringing the total number of fatalities in Hong Kong to 88 since the outbreak began last month.
At travel retail trade level, TFWA has been monitoring the SARS situation daily with regard to its planned exhibition and conference in Singapore next month. The association sent out a detailed brief about SARS to its members last week and is reviewing the fate of the event day by day. This weekend’s developments may have a major influence on its stance.
Coming on top of the Iraq war, SARS has had a catastrophic effect on travel and travel retailing in many countries. Hong Kong and Singapore airports have felt the brunt of the slump in traffic and spending, which is now shaping up as the worst crisis to hit the business in Asia.
UPDATE 19 APRIL
HONG KONG A record 12 patients have died in a single day from the SARS virus in Hong Kong, raising the death toll to 81, health officials said Saturday. Another 31 patients were reported, bringing to 1,358 the number of people hospitalized with the disease since it was first reported in Hong Kong last month. Another 41 patients were discharged from hospital on Saturday after recovering from the disease.
UPDATE 18 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 18: 159
Number infected worldwide as at April 18: 3,293
Breakdown by key country + total number of case(s) + number of deaths + new cases since last WHO report (April 17)
Canada: Total: 126; Deaths: 12; New: 0
China: Total: 1482; Deaths: 65: New: 25
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Total: 1327; Deaths: 69; New: 30
Japan: Total: 4; Deaths: 0; New: 2
Malaysia: Total: 5; Deaths: 1; New: 0
Singapore: Total: 172; Deaths: 16; New: 5
Taiwan: Total: 29; Deaths: 0; New: 2
Thailand: Total: 7; Deaths: 2; New: -1
United States: Total: 208; Deaths: 0; New: 0
Vietnam: Total: 63; Deaths: 5; New: 0
Worldwide: Total: 3,461; Deaths: 170; New: 72
INTERNATIONAL. As of today, a cumulative total of 3461 cases with 170 deaths have been reported from 25 countries on five continents, according to the World Health Organization. This represents an increase of 72 new cases and 5 deaths since the last WHO update. The deaths occurred in Hong Kong SAR (4) and Singapore (1).
UPDATE 17 APRIL
FRANCE. Tax Free World Association says it has been monitoring closely the impact of the SARS epidemic on visitors’ intentions to attend TFWA Asia Pacific in Singapore next month. In a detailed response, it has revealed the identities of some of the companies planning to attend and of those who have yet to commit.
Since the outbreak of SARS, TFWA said it has continued to receive registrations. From 28 March to 11 April, key visitor numbers increased from 567 to 931, but it is not known exactly how this compares to last year. Of the 11 April total, 402 (43%) were buyers or airport authorities and 505 (54%) were agents. TFWA said a quick survey had shown that buyers expect to be present from Nagoya Duty Free and Tokyo Narita airport, Singapore Airlines, Paradise Duty Free, Tourvest Duty Free, BAA and World Duty Free, King Power Thailand and, among others, the major operators from the Middle East.
Other registered buyers such as Nuance Australia, Nuance-Watson and Airport Senmon Daiten have said they have not made the final decision to attend. Sky Connection, JATCO, Eraman and the influential China Duty Free Group have also not said they will attend. TFWA said it is continuing to contact expected Asia-based visitors by telephone, to confirm their attendance, and the results of this research will be available next week.
TFWA ceo Andrew Ford said: “What is unfortunate is that prior to the SARS outbreak we had over double the number of visitors registered for the event this year. A combination of a lot of promotion, an improved direct marketing campaign, and GATE ONE had had a wonderful effect on getting more industry decision makers to pre-register for the event. “Over the next few days of telephoning we will have a better picture of buyer intentions than we did a week ago.”
UPDATE 16 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 16: 159
Number infected worldwide as at April 16: 3,293
Breakdown by key country + total number of case(s) + number of deaths + new cases since last WHO report (April 15)
Canada: Total: 103; Deaths: 13; New 3
China: Total: 1439; Deaths: 64: New 14
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Total: 1268; Deaths: 61; New: 36
Malaysia: Total: 5; Deaths: 1; New: 1
Singapore: Total: 162; Deaths: 13; New: 0
Taiwan: Total: 27; Deaths: 0; New: 4
Thailand: Total: 8; Deaths: 2; New: 0
United States: Total: 193; Deaths: 0; New: 0
Vietnam: Total: 63; Deaths: 5; New: 0
Worldwide: Total: 3,293; Deaths: 159; New: 58
UPDATE 14 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 14: 144
Number infected worldwide as at April 14: 3,169
UPDATE 13 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 12: 119
Number infected worldwide as at April 12: 2,960
Breakdown by key country + total number of case(s) + number of deaths + new cases since last WHO report (April 11)
Canada: Total: 101; Deaths: 10; New 3
China: Total: 1309; Deaths: 58: New 19
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Total: 1108; Deaths: 41; New: 20
Malaysia: Total: 4; Deaths: 1; New: 0
Singapore: Total: 147; Deaths: 9; New: 14
Taiwan: Total: 17; Deaths: 0; New: 2
Thailand: Total: 8; Deaths: 2; New: 1
United States: Total: 166; Deaths: 0; New: 0
Vietnam: Total: 62; Deaths: 0; New: 0
Worldwide: Total: 2960; Deaths: 119; New: 90
SINGAPORE. TFWA announced today that it is to proceed with next month’s TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore, as planned, despite concerns about the worsening Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)virus outbreak in Asia and elsewhere in the world. However, the Gate One conference, being organised by TFWA and Airports Council International, due to take place in the same week, has been cancelled.
A TFWA statement read: “The Association has reviewed the situation closely and has taken this decision based on prior extensive consultation with all relevant authorities in Singapore, and has also reviewed the advice of the World Health Organization. The Association has been given assurance by the Singapore Health Authority that the control of SARS has improved and that measures implemented on the island to halt the import of new cases are being carefully managed. TFWA Asia Pacific has already attracted a high number of visitor pre-registrations, and new pre-registrations and hotel bookings for the event are coming in each day. TFWA has been in contact with exhibitors and the vast majority have maintained their participation at the event.”
Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA president said: “This is clearly a serious situation. However, we have full confidence in the Singaporean authorities’ control of the matter and we firmly believe in the need for this industry to look and plan ahead beyond the current crisis. Our decision reflects our firm support both for the travel retail industry and for the region.” Andrew Ford, TFWA ceo added: “TFWA, operating under the motto “˜by the trade for the trade’, is committed to provide the industry in Asia with the high quality event it has come to expect.”
The decisions were taken after intense debate by the TFWA management committee in London on Friday.
HONG KONG. Hong Kong Airport Authority warned yesterday that “our core business is under threat” as it announced that traffic at Chek Lap Kok airport has now plunged to about a third of last year’s levels because of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. Some 30% of the flights cancelled had been in recent days, it added. The outbreak of SARS has hit Cathay Pacific Airways so badly that management may ground the carrier’s entire fleet in May if traffic keeps falling, according to a leaked internal memo. “We are literally haemorrhaging cash, approximately HK$3 million (US$2.8 million) a day,” said Cathay director of flight operations Nick Rhodes in the memo. “The current strategy is simply to stem the bleeding to buy more time.” Combined land, sea and air passenger flows through Hong Kong have slumped by more than 40% as tourists avoid the area and businesses ban non-essential or all travel in the region.
UPDATE 10 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 9: 106
Number infected worldwide as at April 9: 2,722
The cases above have been reported from 16 countries. This represents an increase of 51 cases and three deaths from a day earlier. New cases were reported in Canada (3), China (1), Hong Kong SAR (42), Singapore (5), and the US (1). The single case reported in Australia has been removed from the list. Deaths were reported in Hong Kong (2) and Singapore (1).
UK. TFWA’s management committee has gathered in London for its 11 April meeting with the future of the Asia Pacific show in Singapore high on the agenda. Until now, the association has said it has no plans to postpone or cancel the event though it is monitoring the situation closely. The TFWA executives and officers are an invidious position, trying to organise an event over a month away based on fast changing conditions and a health crisis that is still worsening in some countries. In the past 24 hours, 52 new cases have been reported in the world, including five in Singapore and others in Canada (3), China (1), Hong Kong SAR (42), and the US (1). The cumulative number of cases is now 2,781 and the number of deaths has reached 111, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Importantly in the Singapore context, the WHO said that the SARS cases in Singapore, including a recent new outbreak, “have revealed few signs of community spread beyond family members in close face-to-face contact with patients”. While the WHO comments put the risk factor of being in Singapore firmly in context, the key criteria for the show’s success is not health fears but commercial concerns among exhibitors over whether enough key buyers will attend. That conundrum will be the subject of intense debate over the next few hours.
UPDATE 9 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 8: 103
Number infected worldwide as at April 8: 2,671
70 new cases and 5 more deaths were reported by the World Health Organization yesterday. The new deaths were reported in Canada (1), Hong Kong SAR (2), and Singapore (2). The additional cases were reported in Canada (1), China (11), Hong Kong SAR (45), France (1), Singapore (7), and the United States (7). Taiwan, China removed 2 cases from the list.
UPDATE 8 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 7: 98
Number infected worldwide as at April 7: 2,601
The April 7 tally represents an increase of 85 cases and 9 deaths compared with the last update of 5 April. The deaths occurred in Canada (2), China (4), and Hong Kong SAR (3).
INTERNATIONAL. The SARS crisis has worsened considerably in the past two days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Chinese officials have announced that SARS is being made a high priority for the government. A system of alert and response for early detection and reporting of all emerging and epidemic-prone diseases is being put in place. The government has also begun holding daily press conferences.
The WHO reported considerable anxiety among the international community following the death in Beijing on Sunday of a Finnish staff member of the International Labor Organization. The ILO staff members were in Beijing to attend an international conference. At present it is unclear how the staff member contracted SARS. Hong Kong continues to report the largest number of new cases, placing some hospitals under considerable strain. In Singapore, the Ministry of Health has reported an unusual cluster of 29 suspected SARS cases in hospital staff from two wards of a single hospital. Of these 4 are probable SARS cases. The onset of the clustering is believed to be 29 March.
In Vietnam, thought to be under control, a probable SARS case was detected in a provincial hospital on 3 April. An additional three probable cases have been reported over the past two days. The Canadian situation has also worsened. There have been nine deaths in Canada. The largest outbreak has occurred in Ontario, where 87 probable and 92 suspect cases have been reported. British Columbia is reporting three probable and 23 suspect cases, New Brunswick is reporting two suspect cases, Saskatchewan is reporting one suspect case, Alberta is reporting five suspect cases, and Prince Edward Island is reporting four suspect cases.
TFWA’s management committee will meet this Friday to discuss the impact of the crisis on May’s planned TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition in Singapore. TFWA has been monitoring the situation daily but says there are no plans yet to postpone or cancel the event.
UPDATE 6 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 5: 89
Number infected worldwide as at April 5: 2,416
Cumulative Number of Reported Cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) from: 1 Nov 20021 To: 5 Apr 2003
Breakdown by country + cumulative number of case(s) + number of deaths
Australia: 1 + 0
Belgium: 1+ 0
Brazil: 1+ 0
Canada: 74 + 7
China: 1220 + 49
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: 800 + 20
China, Taiwan: 17 + 0
France: 3 + 0
Germany: 5 + 0
Italy: 3 + 0
Malaysia: 1 + 1
Republic of Ireland: 1+ 0
Romania: 1 + 0
Singapore: 101 + 6
Spain: 1 + 0
Switzerland: 1 + 0
Thailand: 7 + 2
United Kingdom: 4 + 0
United States: 115 + 0
Vietnam: 59 + 4
Total: 2416 + 89
ASIA. The Asian Development Bank estimates that Asian tourism revenue will crash by -60% in the second quarter because of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis. The Bank predicts a bounce-back in the third as a result of pent-up demand, leading to a -15% drop for the year as a whole. But investment bank Morgan Stanley warned that actual results could be even worse, as the forecasts are based on the assumption that the virus will become benign within two months.
The spreading disease is having a catastrophic effect on travel, especially to and from Asia plus badly-hit Toronto, Canada. One of Toronto’s biggest tourism money spinners, the five-day American Association for Cancer Research convention, which would have attracted 160,000 visitors to the city this week, was cancelled. Meanwhile, the American Business Travel Council reported that some 27% of its members were stopping travel to Asia and that a further 8% was considering doing so.
Malaysia reported its first death from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) death yesterday as the potentially lethal virus continued to spread around Asia and elsewhere in the world. Many airlines have slashed services within Asia, particularly to and from hardest-hit Hong Kong and Guangdong province, China. Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific announced a second wave of drastic reductions on Friday, equating to a combined 23% cut in total frequencies.
UPDATE 5 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 4: 81
Number infected worldwide as at April 4: 2,322
UPDATE 4 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 3: 79
Number infected worldwide as at April 3: 2,290
INTERNATIONAL. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that with operations underway in Iraq, and the added threat of SARS, airlines need to work quickly and closely with governments, regulatory bodies and industry service providers to ensure that civil aviation will not be crippled by the conflict. IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said: “I have written to some 200 airports and ATC providers to urge them to implement financial contingency plans, in order to freeze or even reduce charges and rates in this difficult period.”
UK. British Airways yesterday announced a sharp drop in passenger numbers for March, blaming the war in Iraq and the SARS outbreak. Traffic numbers slumped -11.4% year-on-year, led by a sharp -23.8% fall in business and first class. Economy levels dropped -9.2%. BA head of investor relations George Stinnis warned: “There is certainly the possibility we will not achieve flat revenues this year.”
The company added: “There is limited visibility on revenue and traffic, reflecting the war, economic uncertainty and the impact of SARS. The latter has already affected bookings, particularly on Far East routes.” The downturn in traffic will hit sales at UK airports, as well as the carrier’s own inflight sales. Onboard sales were flat at £42.3 million (US$67.0 million) in 2002, according to Generation DataBank.
SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA. Around 35 flights a day are being screened for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at Singapore Changi airport as they arrive from China, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Nurses, wearing face masks, have been on constant duty at the airport since Monday. In their first 12 hours of duty, they sent seven suspected SARS cases to the hospital, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
After a record year in 2002, when passenger numbers climbed +3.2% to 29.0 million, total numbers travelling through Changi have fallen sharply since the outbreak of war in Iraq but more particularly the SARS alert.
As reported earlier on The Moodie Report, flag carrier Singapore Airlines has slashed its services to Asia, Europe and North America by almost 14%, cutting 125 flights a week. The number of visitor arrivals in the first three weeks of March was -9% lower than the same period last year, according to Associated Press.
The airline has cut more flights now than after September 11, 2001, said airline spokesman Geoff Breusch. Associated Press (AP) reports said that around a quarter of the people at Changi airport were wearing masks on Wednesday, including the woman at the information counter. “Cleaners were busy wiping down counters and railings with disinfectant, a procedure now repeated four times a day,” AP said.
Although neighbouring Malaysia has managed to avoid the SARS outbreak, daily traffic through Kuala Lumpur International airport has fallen at least -3% and Malaysia Airways was also cutting back the number of flights to outbreak areas, said Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik.
SWITZERLAND. The world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair opened yesterday in Basle amid a grim mood as Swiss authorities refused to relax a ban on traders from Hong Kong, China, Singapore or Vietnam because of fears about the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The result was a split between the organisers and the Hong Kong delegation, which said it would pull out of the fair altogether because of the “totally unacceptable” Swiss measures, which banned anyone who has been in Hong Kong, China, Singapore or Vietnam since 1 March from working at the show. As a result, the Hong Kong delegation threatened to sue for HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) compensation. They are the second biggest group after the Swiss, with 317 exhibitors and around 2,500 staff. “We are obviously not welcome here,” said Frederick Lam, deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. “But Swiss people will continue to be welcome in Hong Kong,” he declared.
The Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Henry Tang warned the Swiss action would hurt their “economic relationship.” “Our delegates have already taken precautionary health measures and have expressed willingness to cooperate further with the Swiss authorities,” Tang said in a statement released in Hong Kong.
The Swiss defended their decree, issued on the eve of the fair. “Exhibition organizers failed to offer an alternative which provided the same level of protection and therefore there are no grounds to relax the decree,” said Thomas Zeltner, Federal Health Office director. Visitors to Zurich faced hundreds of display stands containing unpacked boxes. Although Asian personnel were forbidden to sell products, they were still allowed to enter the exhibition centre.
UPDATE 3 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 2: 78
Number infected worldwide as at April 2: 2,223
CHINA Chinese authorities yesterday announced updated figures for the number of SARS cases in Guangdong province. The figures, which cover the reporting period of 1 March to 31 March, are 361 new SARS cases and 9 deaths. Chinese authorities had previously reported 792 cases and 31 deaths in Guangdong province in the reporting period of 16 November 2002 to 28 February 2003. The cumulative total of SARS cases in Guangdong from 16 November to 31 March now stands at 1153 cases and 40 deaths.
The Chinese Ministry of Health has further announced that a five-person WHO team will be travelling immediately to Guangdong Province to confer with officials there. Chinese experience with the oldest SARS outbreak is expected to yield epidemiological and clinical clues useful in establishing policies to contain outbreaks elsewhere and prevent further international spread. Many questions about the outbreak in Guangdong Province, which borders Hong Kong, have yet to be answered, said the WHO. This outbreak is the largest reported to date and has also shown evidence of spread in the wider community.
Importantly in terms of the country’s tourism and travel retail sectors, no transmission of new cases is being reported elsewhere in the country. Chinese authorities are in the process of setting up a reporting system that will result in daily real-time reporting of SAS cases throughout China.
FRANCE. Tax Free World Association has responded to the concerns expressed by industry colleagues following the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) globally by doing everything possible to aid those planning to attend TFWA Asia Pacific. The deadline for pre-registration has been extended from 18 April to the end of the month. Exhibitors wishing to book special services and facilities for their stands are being given until 30 April to notify the Association and the official hotels have agreed to defer their cut-off date for deposit refunds from 14 to 30 April.
TFWA said it has no plans at this stage to cancel or postpone the show which is scheduled to begin in Suntec Singapore on 20 May. “At this stage very few exhibitors have expressed an interest in cancelling their stand, and no buyers have called to cancel their participation. It is felt that many are waiting to see how the situation will develop before making a decision,”said TFWA in a statement. The Association said it had reassured itself that the Singapore health authorities have reacted swiftly and effectively to the outbreak, who believe the situation there is under control. All incoming passengers to Singapore from China and Hong Kong are being quarantined for three hours prior to entry. Passengers from other countries are screened on arrival and confirmed cases are isolated and treated. All public areas are being cleaned regularly each day. TFWA said it will continue to monitor the situation very closely.
UPDATE 2 APRIL
Number of deaths as at April 1: 62
Number infected worldwide as at April 1: 1,804
INTERNATIONAL. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that today’s recommendation “that persons travelling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and Guangdong Province, China consider postponing all but essential travel” is the first time in the body’s history that such travel advice has been issued for specific geographical areas because of an outbreak of an infectious disease. The advisory underlines both the gravity of the problem and the WHO’s determination to deal with it quickly and effectively.
In a statement, WHO said: “Since 1958, WHO has issued weekly lists of areas infected with quarantinable diseases so that national authorities can decide whether to apply public health measures to arriving travellers. During the last years of the smallpox eradication campaign cases spread internationally by land. Controls at borders between neighbouring countries were relied on to prevent international spread. No global recommendations were necessary.”
HONG KONG/CHINA. The World Health Organization has taken the unprecedented step of advising travellers not to visit Hong Kong because of the spread of the mysterious killer disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The warning also applies to travel to China’s southern Guangdong province. This is thought to be the first time the WHO has given such advice.
“People who are planning to travel to Hong Kong or Guangdong should consider postponing their travel until another time,” said WHO infectious diseases chief Dr David Heymann. The organisation said it was taking the action because at least nine foreign businessmen have caught SARS and carried it back to their home countries.
China now says 46 people have died from Sars. There are about 1,200 cases in the country and three provinces have been hit. More than 70 deaths and over 2,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide. The news has serious repercussions for Hong Kong International Airport and its concessionaires. Spending was understood to be down by at least -40% last week in many of the prime stores, because of SARS and the Iraq war.
SWITZERLAND. Exhibitors from the countries affected by the highly contagious form of pneumonia have been banned from BASELWORLD, the World Watch and Jewellery Show in Switzerland this week. The show is one of the most prestigious events in the duty free calendar. King Power Thailand is known to be one of several operators that have cancelled their attendance. The Swiss government yesterday issued a decree that the fair organiser must ensure the exhibitors neither employ nor engage people who have been in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam after 1 March. The decree cites concerns over the possible spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at the fair. The Federal Health Office confirmed salespeople from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore would not be allowed to man stands at the World Watch and Jewellery Show, which takes place simultaneously in Basel and Zurich.
Federal Health Office director Thomas Zeltner said close contact between exhibitors and visitors could lead to SARS being transmitted at the fairs. He added that the decision had been taken after consultation with organizers and canton authorities. The announcement has dealt a severe blow to the fair’s organizers, affecting some 350 – or one in six – of all exhibitors. The vast majority of exhibitors had already arrived in Switzerland or were on their way. However, the government said there would be no ban on tourists from Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Vietnam planning to visit the fair. Around 6,000 visitors and exhibitors from Southeast Asia were expected to attend the week-long event, which opens on Thursday.
UPDATE 1 APRIL
Number of deaths: 62
Number infected worldwide: 1,804
SINGAPORE. Nurses at Changi airport examining arriving passengers have intercepted at least seven suspected cases of the deadly flu-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) illness in the last 24 hours. Seven nurses clad in yellow hospital gowns and surgical masks were the first to greet passengers on a flight from Beijing as soon as they stepped into the terminal from the boarding bridge, as airport officials gave reporters a glimpse at the new measures. Nurses identified the seven suspected cases in the first 20 hours after the Health Ministry posted them at the main airport on Monday at 8 pm to try to halt the spread of SARS, said Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore spokesman Albert Tjoeng.
MALAYSIA. Malaysia’s health authorities on Tuesday announced the country’s first suspected cases of SARS. Health ministry director general Mohamad Taha Arif was quoted as saying that eight people with suspected symptoms of the illness had been admitted to hospital for tests.
SINGAPORE. TFWA says it has no plans at this stage to postpone or cancel May’s TFWA Asia Pacific show, despite the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia. In a statement, the Association said: “TFWA is monitoring very closely the serious situation that has developed globally following the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Given its planned event in the week of May 20, TFWA Asia Pacific, the Association is in close contact with the appropriate authorities, including the World Health Organization and the Singapore health authorities.
“The Association welcomes the news that the Singapore health authorities have responded very quickly and strongly to the outbreak: both confirmed sufferers and those who may have been in contact with the virus have been quarantined; passengers arriving from countries where cases of the SARS virus have been found are being screened prior to entry. TFWA is reassured that a large number of patients are recovering and being released from hospital to return home. At this point in time, TFWA has no plans to cancel or postpone its event in Singapore, but it will continue to monitor the situation closely and will review the situation during the coming weeks.”
Comment: The TFWA statement comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s postponement of the China Travel Retail Summit due to have been held in Shanghai the week before TFWA Asia Pacific. It is the right decision to proceed at this stage, given Singapore’s impressive record in dealing with such matters quickly and transparently. But clearly if the outbreak worsens, TFWA will have some hard and urgent thinking to do. For now, it probably has little alternative but to sit tight and hope for the best. The Singaporean situation also differs from that in China, where the SARS crisis is at its most acute and where the real seriousness of the problem has only just emerged. In those circumstances, and given the event in question was a one day conference, the decision to postpone was equally correct.
Click here to see a continuation of the SARS timeline from the first news of the outbreak on 16 March.
