Swine Flu

I will preface by saying at this point, I am not concerned about Swine Flu, and there are no reported cases in Asia. The warning to avoid crowded places was rather laughable for Hong Kong residents considering how crowded the city and mass transportation are. That said, I was feeling very unsettled yesterday when I went a huge trade show attended by tens of thousands of people from all over the world. The large posters everywhere urging people who felt sick to go the First Aid room didn’t provide any comfort, nor did the plethora of hand sanitizer bottles.

It is very interesting to see and hear Hong Kong residents’ reaction to Swine Flu, because they vividly remember the horror of SARS. I have heard numerous stories of how truly awful that time was. People are stocking up on face masks and are anxiously watching the news. Actually, Hong Kong may be the best place to ride out the Swine Flu scare/pandemic, because the city has been there, done that. In Hong Kong, and especially China, it is not considered rude to cough or sneeze without covering your mouth, and public spitting is very common. So far, I’m feeling fine.