In Singapore, tough laws help contain SARS alarm
In Singapore, tough laws help contain SARS alarm
Jason Szep
Reuters
Singapore
If Richard Yeo leaves home, he faces a fine of US$5,600, possible
jail and the humiliation of seeing his name on a public "shame"
list.
A thicket of draconian laws binding the vegetable seller and
3,000 other seemingly healthy people to their homes in Singapore
is showing signs of containing the deadly Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.
After 23 deaths from SARS in Singapore -- the world's third-
highest number of SARS fatalities -- life in the wealthy city-
state is returning to normal.
The stock market is ticking higher. Crowds are flocking back
to cinemas and shopping centers. Few people wear surgical masks.
Taxis keep their air conditioning on, ignoring guidelines to roll
down their windows to prevent SARS from spreading.
Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang says two-to-three more weeks are
needed before knowing for sure if SARS has peaked in the city,
but the World Health Organization (WHO) says Singapore appears to
be over the worst of the crisis.
Unlike some other Asian SARS hot spots, such as Beijing and
Taipei, an overwhelming number of residents in Singapore say they
feel safe.
"The government has been very serious about SARS," said 34-
year-old businessman Edward Poon, explaining why he sees no
reason to wear a mask as he waits in a lunch-hour queue at a
crowded restaurant. "They are extra cautious to ensure that
people are being protected from this type of disease."
The tightly controlled island republic has rolled out some of
the world's harshest measures to deal with the virus,
quarantining 3,001 people and threatening them with fines of
S$10,000 ($5,600) or six months jail if they leave their homes.
Yeo says he would not dream of challenging the rules though he
yearns to walk down his street. "There's nothing to do in here
but watch TV," he sighs over the telephone.
Yeo was horrified when he told by police that a man diagnosed
with SARS had worked in a stall next to his at a wholesale market
that supplies nearly 70 percent of Singapore's vegetables.
But the decision to shut the market and send everyone home on
April 19 may have saved his life, he says. "The government moved
in quickly to fumigate and sterilize the market, so I feel safe."
His workplace -- the 24-hour Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre --
was to reopen on Wednesday but will remain shut until May 4,
sealed in blue and white police tape and protected by armed
security.
But Yeo worries he could suffer from the stigma of being
linked to SARS when he reopens for business.
Pervasive government control has long been a fact of life in
Singapore, nourishing its reputation as a "nanny state". During
the SARS scare, digital cameras with built-in modems are
installed in homes to check on people under quarantine.
Electronic wrist tags, similar to the ones used in prisons to
monitor inmates, are slapped on people who fail to answer to
surveillance calls, even if they have not left their homes.
Public confidence is growing as the number of new SARS cases
slows, with only two reported on Tuesday in Singapore for a total
of 201 after no new cases on Monday and Sunday.