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1. WHY HONG KONG CAN'T CLOSE THE BORDER

2. Your chance to make a difference

3. We've been lobbying for weeks, say doctors in the firing line

4. Medic who changes his outfit six times a day

5. A hi-tech barrier against infection

6. Project Shield - Help protect our frontline workers

7. Urban Renewal

8. Cartoon

9. Symptoms of confusion follow school decision

10. Dengue threat hangs over strained hospitals

11. Officials branded arrogant over maids' levy

12. How much do you want a clean harbour?

13. Your Sars Questions Answered

1. WHY HONG KONG CAN'T CLOSE THE BORDER
SCMP, 25 April 2003

In her article headlined 'Why Hong Kong should close its border' (South China Morning Post, April 23), Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee proposes that 'the only really effective measure would be to seal off the border, and that anyone who wishes to pass through should be allowed to do so only after 10 days in quarantine'.

She then asks 'why has it not been proposed?' and says that 'the potential loss of business does not explain it' and that the reason is 'obviously political'.

I am surprised not by Margaret's Ng's proposal but by her ignorance of the extent of our social and economic interactions with the mainland.

A large-scale survey conducted by the Planning Department, the results of which have been made public, shows that 45,000 people who live in Hong Kong travel to the mainland at least once a week to visit their spouses, children and parents, 7,200 people who live in Hong Kong commute daily to work in the mainland, 12,500 people living on the mainland commute daily to work in Hong Kong, and 2,200 children who live on the mainland commute daily to attend schools in Hong Kong.

In addition, 25,000 lorries a day pass over the border between Hong Kong and the mainland, from which we obtain much of our daily supply of necessities.

In light of the above facts and figures, if Ms Ng still believes that the chief executive has not proposed closing the border because of political reasons - to avoid the 'acknowledgement that the mainland is a potential source of infection for Hong Kong'- then Ms Ng is not only ignorant, but prejudiced as usual in her assessment of Hong Kong's relations with the mainland.

When Hong Kong is trying its best to tackle Sars, the last thing it needs is ignorant allegations based on prejudice.

C Y LEUNG, Member, Executive Council

2. Your chance to make a difference
SCMP, 25 April 2003

A donation of $50 will defend Hong Kong's doctors and nurses in the fight against Sars

The South China Morning Post today launches Project Shield - an opportunity for Hong Kong people to buy protective suits for local medical staff in the front line of the battle against Sars.

Project Shield aims to provide hi-tech protective outfits for all the doctors, nurses and workers in the Sars wards of 14 Hong Kong hospitals where patients are being treated, to guard them against infection.

The Post has bought 1,000 'Barrierman' suits - which cost HK$25 each - to donate to the Hospital Authority, and has arranged with Cathay Pacific to airlift in from Malaysia 1,000 more donated by manufacturers DuPont. HSBC has waived transaction fees for donations lodged via credit cards.

We now urge readers and businesses to pledge money to help make sure every medical worker in Hong Kong who wants to use one of the protective suits has access to one.

Hong Kong people have been trying to find ways to show their appreciation and support of frontline workers who have been putting their lives at risk to care for victims.

About 23 per cent of the total number of Sars infections in Hong Kong involve health-care workers. Project Shield began on the day that a further three frontline staff fell ill with Sars.

By last night, 338 hospital staff were among the 1,488 victims across Hong Kong.

Donating just $50 means you can provide a nurse working on a Sars ward with the two protective suits needed for one day's work. A donation of $350 will safeguard a medical worker for seven days.

David Hui Shu-cheong, a specialist treating Sars patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, welcomed the campaign.

'This is fantastic news,' he said. 'It is a great opportunity for the people of Hong Kong to show their support for frontline workers.'

The suits are already being used on a trial basis by medics at the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po. But they are not widely available in Hong Kong's 12 other hospitals treating Sars victims.

The launch of the campaign follows a Post report yesterday revealing how hefty costs and dwindling stocks were causing lengthy delays in the delivery of the equipment to the frontline.

Most staff working in Sars wards wear non-waterproof paper gowns and eye visors. Many have complained the protection offered by such equipment is inadequate.

The Hospital Authority is helping to steer the Post's campaign.

The Post has set 10,000 Barrierman suits a day as the target to ensure there are sufficient supplies to protect all frontline doctors, nurses and cleaners working in public hospitals treating Sars patients.

Legislator and Medical Association president Lo Wing-lok yesterday voiced his full support for the drive, saying it was the only way to stop the 'chain-reaction' of the outbreak. 'This campaign is a proactive step forward,' he said.

'Businessmen, professionals and some very prominent figures have all told me they want to do more to protect frontline workers.

'I believe this is a way for the people of Hong Kong to show how much they care about our frontline workers.'

Ko Wing-man, the Hospital Authority's director (Professional Service and Public Affairs), who represents the 4,000 doctors and 20,000 nurses working in public hospitals, told the Post: 'We are being faced with a new virus, and hence manpower, treatment module and medication are under immense pressure. Infection control measures and protective clothing have to be enhanced in view of new findings of the disease.

'We are very grateful that the Post is joining hands with other committed organisations to show their support to public hospitals by donating some [Barrierman] clothing which we are also in the continuous process of providing to the staff concerned.

'We are pleased that the government and the community have shown tremendous support to the health-care workers in the battle against atypical pneumonia.'

Joining the campaign, Cathay Pacific director and chief operating officer Philip Chen said: 'We applaud the tremendous efforts being made by the Hospital Authority, Department of Health and all the medical workers to contain this outbreak and treat those people who have come down with the disease.'

3. We've been lobbying for weeks, say doctors in the firing line
Peter Michael, SCMP 25 April 2003

Hong Kong medical staff yesterday said they had been lobbying for weeks to obtain protective suits for use in high-risk clinical areas.

Senior health professionals said they had been warning that Sars was creating fresh challenges for barrier control measures. The toll of health workers accounts for around a quarter of Hong Kong's 1,488 confirmed Sars cases.

Up to yesterday, however, many staff working in the 14 hospitals in Hong Kong treating Sars-infected patients were still being given paper gowns and eye visors.

'This is the scandalous part,' said Peter Tong Chun-yip, who lobbied for the protective suits to be provided to the hard-hit Prince of Wales Hospital.

'The paper gowns are not waterproof, they are like tissue paper,' Dr Tong said. They offered no protection against the highly contagious 'viral splash', the mist caused during intubation, or other dangerous close-contact procedures, he said. 'We are not saying everyone handling patients needs this protective suit. But it should be provided to the high-risk personnel - the nurse, the doctor and the cleaner who have direct contact with the Sars patients.'

Prince of Wales Hospital was among the first to be given the latest hi-tech equipment, only receiving the stocks a week ago.

'We have been asking for it for weeks. In the end they had to let us use them because we had so many of our fellow colleagues coming down with it,' Dr Tong said.

'When weighing the cost of buying two suits a shift to protect a nurse or treating one who has Sars and needs to spend 21 days in a hospital bed, which costs $3,000 a day for the bed alone, it is a simple equation.'

He said there was plenty of stock but 'so much bureaucracy and red-tape' holding suits up from getting to the front line.

'We are just amazed that it has taken so long to be provided for use.'

However, the Hospital Authority yesterday said more than 88,000 of the Barrierman suits had been distributed for use in high-risk clinical areas.

'The Hospital Authority head office is working closely with individual hospital clusters to ascertain the need of hospitals for central procurement,' it said.

Tim Rainer, head of accident and emergency care at the Prince of Wales, warned of some of the high-risk situations that offered the greatest threat of infection, and of how short supply of equipment could endanger staff.

'Intubation [inserting a tube down a patient's windpipe] may be dangerous because the practitioner gets up close to the patient's mouth,' he said.

'Intubation sometimes is required in an emergency when tight barrier precautions are not in place and protective gear may not be immediately available.'

4. Medic who changes his outfit six times a day
Patsy Moy, SCMP 25 April 2003

David Hui Shu-cheong is one of the lucky ones. The frontline doctor already has access to the 'Barrierman' suits that Project Shield is setting out to buy - and says he changes his suit about six times a day as he rushes between wards.

Dr Hui, associate professor of the department of medicine and therapeutics at Chinese University, told the South China Morning Post that wearing and changing the outfits had in the past week become part of his routine at Prince of Wales Hospital, the university's teaching hospital.

The protective suits have been issued to all staff working in isolation wards at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po for the past week.

So far none of the medical workers wearing the outfits has been infected with Sars.

Dr Hui said he had to change the disposable suit every time he changed wards. 'We are changing the protective suits all day. But it does not take long as we are now used to the procedures.

'However, wearing the N95 mask is the most difficult part as it is so tight and people are easily tempted to move it to a more comfortable position. But all the time, we have to keep in mind not to touch our mask.'

Dr Hui said the outbreak had turned his daily schedule on its head. 'We have also changed our research focus to Sars as we see there is the urgency to study the virus and find out a cure for the disease before more people die of the killer virus,' he said.

Dr Hui has eaten each of his three meals a day at the hospital canteen for more than a month. He has not taken any holidays since the outbreak began and is working 14 hours a day.

5. A hi-tech barrier against infection
Peter Michael, SCMP 25 April 2003

The hi-tech Barrierman protective suits that Project Shield will buy are designed for workers dealing with viral outbreaks, chemical spills and radioactive substances. They have previously been used in the avian bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong and the classic swine fever virus sweeping Europe.

The high density of the flash-spun non-woven fabric helps to insulate the tear-resistant garment against a range of microscopic substances. The Barrierman can be used to protect against liquid chemical spills and radioactive substances.

A Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for manufacturers of the Barrierman, DuPont, said the outfits were being used to cope with the Sars outbreak in Shanghai and Beijing hospitals. But she said they were not strong enough to fight the virus alone.

'They should be combining this with other barrier control practices and protective measures they have and they should not rely on this solely to protect them from contamination in isolated wards,' the spokeswoman said.

6. Project Shield - Help protect our frontline workers
SCMP, 25 April 2003

Here's how:

1. Call our hotline numbers, 2250 3355 Monday to Friday or 2250 3356 on Saturday and Sunday. Quote your credit Card number and the amount you would like to donate. Lines are manned from 9:30am to 6:30pm.

2. Visit scmp.com and click on the Project Shield button, which takes you straight to an online pledge form where you can fill in your name and credit card details.

3. Deposit your donation directly to Project Shield at the following HSBC account number: 567-602032-003.

4. Send your cheque, made out to "Project Shield" to the Marketing Department - Project Shield, South China Morning Post, 15th Floor, Somerset House, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of DuPont for matching the SCMP's donation of 1,00 suits, Cathay Pacific for agreeing to transport suits to Hong Kong and HSBC for waiving all transaction fees on donation via credit card.

7. Urban Renewal
Letters to the Editor, SCMP 25 April 2003

I refer to the allegations made in the article headlined "Compensation row in slum clearance" (South China Morning Post, April 19) concerning acquisition and compensation offers made to flat owners in the first Street/Second Street redevelopment project of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA).

It said that the URA underestimated the size of many flats at 42-44 First Street. In Fact, the acquisition offers made to all flat owners, including these ones, were based strictly on saleable floor areas as shown in building plans registered with the government.

This is standard practice in all URA projects because the authority cannot offer to pay for any unauthorized floor area. However, the URA, on request, is happy to conduct on-site measurement of a flat.

The article said that a certain flat owner was "threatened" with the with-holding of "the $96,000 removal fee" if he refused to accept the URA's offer.

The truth is quite the opposite. The URA, as s standard practice, offers a minimum of $96,000 in incidental cost allowance for removal expenses, on top of the home purchase allowance, to all owner-occupiers who accept the acquisition offers within a 60-day period.

Whichever way you look at it, this is an incentive, not a threat.

It was also said that some owners received only $400,000 in compensation and half of the amount would go to the legal and other expenses of buying a replacement flat. If this is correct, it means the size of the flat concerned is only about 97 square feet, ie 97 square feet x$3,137 per square foot (URA - offered home purchase allowance for owner-occupiers), plus $96,000 incidental cost allowance.

The fact is that none of the flats in the area are so small. According to building plans, the smallest is about 215 square feet. Therefore, the allegation could only be true if the flat concerned is actually used for non-domestic purposes such as goods storage, in which case the owners cannot justify, legally or morally, a home purchase allowance.

Another owner, who lived with six family members I nflat of 770 square feet, complained that he was offered only $1.7 million, which worked out to $2,207 per square feet. The fact is that the URA's flat-rate offer of home purchase allowance for all domestic owner-occupiers in this project is $3,137 per square foot of saleable area. Apparently, the owner was speaking on a gross floor area basis, which is not consistent with the calculation basis of the URA.

One owner said: "I have to move out from a 12-year-old building and into a 30-year-old building. This is their so-called redevelopment." The URA ahs offered to pay this owner about one and a half time the flat's current market value, based on $3,137 per square foot of saleable area. As in previous projects, some owners have either used the money to buy an older but larger flat or buy a less expensive flat and keep part of the cash. The choice istheirs.

The report quoted a social worker as saying that some independent valuation firms had assessed the flats 20 per cent higher than the URA's valuation for a notional seven-year-old flat in that area. Rather than the URA's valuation for a notional seven-year-old flat in that area. Rather than argue this point, the URA is content to leave to the public's judgment whether a seven-year-old flat in Sai Ying Pun, on average, is really worth that much, ie $3,764 per square foot of saleable area, in the current market conditions. It is common knowledge that even new flats in more expensive locations will hardly fetch this price.

The URA is always willing to negotiate with each owner during the offer period. If any owner needs a review of his eligibility for compensation, he can seek a final ruling from the URA's Review Committee, comprising ex officio directors of the URA and individuals.

Eddie So, General Manager, External Relations - Urban Renewal Authority

8. Cartoon
SCMP, 25 April 2003

9. Symptoms of confusion follow school decision
ANALYSIS Katherine Forestier, SCMP 25 April 2003

Parents and teachers are left in the dark on many questions surrounding the move to keep younger children at home

The indefinite closure of primary schools and kindergartens has enormous implications for children, parents and schools.

Teachers and parents were last night shocked at the decision, given that the Education and Manpower Bureau had already indicated that primary schools were likely to reopen in stages from next week.

There was also much confusion. Several hours after the press conference by Secretary for Education Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, the bureau's daily online bulletin on atypical pneumonia had not been updated with his announcement.

International schools were unsure if the decision applied to them, as Professor Li was evasive on the question at the press conference.

A bureau spokesman later said the suspension applied to all schools. However, last night another bureau spokesperson said international schools could be exempted.

The Australian International School reported that it had received notification at 6pm that it could reopen.

Many will also be wondering why the government changed its mind in keeping primary and kindergarten schools closed.

Although there are some strong arguments for doing so - not least that the bureau does not have enough Sars-prevention items, such as thermometers, to supply all schools by Monday and that it is more difficult to maintain hygiene among younger children - some will wonder if the decision is politically motivated.

Beijing and other provinces have taken a tough line by closing schools from yesterday. Hong Kong, which has been the epicentre of the Sars outbreak, could not be seen to be taking a softer stance.

Secondary schools have struggled to cope with Sars-prevention measures. Keeping masks on children and teachers is the first difficulty. Ensuring all have taken their temperatures is another.

While there is talk the decision could be reviewed next week, Professor Li's comment that he hoped all schools would be reopened by the end of the term suggested that the continued closure could now stretch to weeks or even months.

The uncertainty will add to the pressures now being felt in many households. Young children require active supervision, which most parents cannot provide, given work demands. Providing quality child-care, not to mention some form of education, will prove a challenge.

Schools, meanwhile, must plan how to compensate for the lost education. They will need to enhance their distance-learning methods, which have been patchy at best for the younger age groups.

They will also have to consider if and how they should make up the lost days. Some local schools are ready to use the summer holidays. But international schools, as well as expatriate parents, will be less willing to disrupt their holiday plans. Then there is the issue of school fees. All kindergartens are privately operated. Many parents of children in kindergartens or private primary schools will resent having to pay fees when their children are not receiving regular schooling, especially when the grim economy may be affecting their own incomes.

Parents have obvious grounds for not paying money for services not received.

But schools still need to pay teachers, who have their own living expenses to meet. If they waive fees, or a proportion of them, their businesses will be affected. Some could be forced to close. They would have a strong argument for compensation from the government.

Yesterday, there was no indication from the bureau as to how a resolution to these issues might be reached.

It is important that the government be as sympathetic to the plight of schools as it is to industries such as catering and travel, given the release of the $11.8 billion Sars relief package.

10. Dengue threat hangs over strained hospitals
Heike Phillips, SCMP 25 April 2003

The rainy season will bring a risk of a new front opening in the health battle

Health services stretched by the Sars outbreak could soon find themselves battling on two fronts, with rainy weather heralding the return of mosquitoes - and dengue fever.

Lo Wing-lok, legislator for the medical sector and president of the Medical Council, said the issue of dengue fever was an underlying concern that would surface in the coming weeks.

'My fear is that this will surface with the arrival of the rainy season,' he said.

Dr Lo said it was fortunate that the weather had remained dry, with April usually heralding the onset of heavy rainfalls. 'We might have a few more weeks to focus totally on atypical pneumonia, but come the rainy season the mosquitoes will arrive. It would be a timely reminder to the government that we should not forget dengue fever.'

According to the Health Department, 10 cases of dengue fever were reported in Hong Kong in the first two months of this year, with no cases last month. All of these were imported cases. A total of 44 cases were reported last year, of which 20 cases were contracted locally.

Ho Yuk-yin, a consultant in community medicine for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), warned that without preventive action, Hong Kong was at risk of an outbreak of dengue fever.

'What we are really concerned about is a local outbreak. We have imported cases coming from neighbouring areas every year, so from that sense we are under constant threat of dengue fever,' he said. 'If there is any weakness in our system, dengue fever can enter Hong Kong. This is a real threat.'

Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquito stings, with the common carrier in Hong Kong being the Aedes albopictus mosquito.

'It is very important that everyone looks after their own backyard or immediate environment and removes any stagnant water, so the mosquito has no place to breed,' Dr Ho said. Water in vases should be changed at least once a week - the time it takes for a mosquito to grow from an egg into an adult, he said.

The most likely times of day to be stung by the Aedes albopictus are two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. 'If you get bitten during the night, the chances are very slim that it was this particular mosquito,' said Dr Ho. Dengue fever symptoms - much like those of Sars - include headache, aches and pains and fever.

'Classical dengue fever symptoms include a skin rash, but there is no shortness of breath as with pneumonia,' Dr Ho said. Usually patients recover within days.

The Health Department said officials had been working closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to prevent dengue fever. heike.

Further information about dengue fever can be found on FEHD's home page at http://www.fehd.gov.hk.

11. Officials branded arrogant over maids' levy
Chow Chung-yan, SCMP 25 April 2003

Legislators have accused the government of arrogance over its decision to impose a $400 monthly levy on employers of foreign domestic helpers and cut maids' salaries by the same amount.

The Legislative Council's manpower panel met yesterday to discuss the policy, which was announced in February as a way of helping trim the $70 billion deficit.

Maids argue that the levy on employers is effectively a tax on them. The minimum wage for foreign helpers was reduced to $3,270 per month from the previous level of $3,670, with effect from April 1, for all new employment contracts.

Many people were angered by what they perceived as a lack of consultation over the decision.

Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, who represents the legal sector, said: 'What concerns me is how this government exercises its power. It should always follow the proper legal procedures and respect public views.

'Should the government twist and bend an ordinance like a spring to suit its advantage, or should it respect the spirit of the ordinance and consult the public before introducing a policy change?'

Ms Ng also lashed out at Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan, who attended the Legco section.

'What I cannot accept is the government's arrogant manner. When we raise questions, Mr Ip shows his impatience very well through his body language. And whenever someone says something supporting the government, he will smile and nod in approval,' she said.

The debate yesterday centred on whether the government could impose a levy on foreign maids under current labour laws.

The government said the Employees Retraining Ordinance empowered the chief executive to tax an employer seeking permission to import workers without the need to legislate.

But some legislators countered that foreign domestic helpers were not subject to a quota system as specified under the ordinance. 'The original target of the ordinance is the industry sector. Foreign maids are employed by homes, not commercial firms,' Ms Ng said.

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, the permanent secretary for economic development and labour, said that since each employer of a foreign maid must pass an income criteria, the maids should be seen as subject to the quota system.

Mr Ip denied officials were arrogant and defended the government's consultation efforts.

12. How much do you want a clean harbour?
Ernest Kong, SCMP 25 April 2003

The public will be presented with a pay scale on different levels of pollution

Fancy swimming or fishing in an unpolluted Victoria Harbour?

You may get your chance ... provided you are willing to pay, that is.

Hong Kong residents will be asked how clean they want Victoria Harbour to be as the government proceeds with upgrading the city's sewage treatment system.

A two-year study by an international review panel on ways to enhance waste treatment is due to be released by the Environmental Protection Department and be available for public consultation by the end of the year.

'We want Hong Kong people to tell us whether they want it clean enough to swim in, fish in, or just to look good,' said Benny Wong, assistant director of the department's, waste and water division, in a district council meeting yesterday.

But he said that each level of cleanliness would have its own cost. 'District councillors have divided opinions on the options, and no doubt the public will have their opinions, which we want to hear,' he said. 'We need to know how much the public is prepared to pay so we can reach a consensus, seek funding and start a detailed design of the option preferred by the community.'

The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme was first started in 1989. Stage one of the scheme saw $8.2 billion ploughed into building a sewage treatment plant at Stonecutters Island - which came into full operation 14 months ago - and a system of deep tunnels transferring untreated sewage to the island. As a result, 70 per cent of the sewage catchment area was covered, including the whole of the Kowloon peninsula, Tseung Kwan O, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan.

The international review panel is examining how to bring the remaining 30 per cent into operation and investigating the feasibility of making the existing chemical treatment of wastewater a biological process so that only highly treated sewage is discharged into Victoria Harbour.

13. Your Sars Questions Answered
SCMP, 25 April 2003

Doctor Margaret Cheng is on hand to answer your questions o the atypical pneumonia outbreak. If you have any questions for her, e-mail them to mharris@netvigator.com. More questions will be answered in tomorrow's City section.

Q I have seen a lot of people talking, eating or driving with their masks pushed down under the chin or hanging from one ear. Is this sound practice? Is it imperative that we wear mask outside, or should we only put them on in enclosed spaces?

A By letting the mask dangle under the cin or over one ear, people are setting up "micro-environments". By this I mean they are encouraging whatever micro-organisms lurking on their chins and ears and hair to gather on the surface of the mask. These micro-organisms then grow happy little colonies able to travel into your mouth and nose when they are next covered. If enough get in they will establish a thriving colony in the throat and nose, causing a throat or chest infection. Masks are useful for limiting the load of particles, including virus particles, you may breathe in or out. But you are unlikely to inhale the Sars virus unless you are close to someone coughing or sneezing, so there is no point wearing one while out-doors or driving alone, or when you are with people with no symptoms. However, if you are going from crowded indoor places into open areas then back again, keep the mask on, rather than let it slip down your chin. If you do want to remove it, take it off altogether, place it in a plastic bag and sel it. Remember to discard the bag. It is expensive to keep using a new mask, so it is bette to just keep the mask on until you really have to take it off to eat or drink.