Beijing in the Time of SARS

The new leader, Hu Jin Tao, told the world and all Chinese that the government had the situation under control. He said that Beijing was safe, that those sick had been found and quarantined, and that numbers in Guangdong and Hong Kong (the first hard hit areas) were falling. Of course, the next day Hong Kong had the highest fatality rate to that point.

Then came last weekend. In one fell swoop, the government admitted that Beijing itself was home to 400 cases, not 40, and that many had died. They simultaneously fired the public health minister and the Beijing mayor, and cancelled the spring national laborers holiday (May Day). The number of mask wearers doubled overnight, and major offices in Beijing developed a policy of meeting every day to discuss the situation and any new restrictions. I went to school that Monday (the announcements had been made on Sunday) and the school manager was talking about shutting down.

That day, Monday of last week, public places began to disinfect the air and all surfaces by spraying chlorine solutions and vinegar. Waiters were broadcasting straight vinegar from large bowls onto the sidewalks in front of their establishments. An ever larger percentage of pedestrians wore masks on the streets, but a new sort of mask wearer had developed. Up until this point, no service employees with direct customer contact had worn masks; Chinese, obsessed with right behavior and politeness, especially in commerce, thought masks would turn customers off or away. On Monday and Tuesday, waiters, taxi drivers and every other person in contact with customers wore a mask; opinion had reversed itself as fear of the disease developed to a point where customers avoided unmasked vendors…

  1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7     

About Us :: Team Margaux :: FAQs :: Sitemap :: Privacy Policy :: Terms of use :: Contact Webmaster :: Credits