HONG KONG, Jan 22 — The emergence of a SARS-like virus in China is the last thing Hong Kong’s struggling economy needs, analysts say, as the city reels from the twin storms of the global trade war and months of political unrest. The semi-autonomous financial hub is currently on high alert for...
Hong Kong is reeling from the twin storms of the global trade war and months of political unrest. — Reuters pic
In 2003, nearly 300 people were killed in Hong Kong during an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , which also began on the mainland and hammered the city’s economy as tourists arrivals plunged. The brewing crisis comes days before the Lunar New Year holiday, which sees hundreds of millions of people travel across China and overseas.
“It will deal a heavy blow to the city’s economic atmosphere. The impact of the political unrest sparked by the extradition bill has not yet ended.” More than 100 people who have come back from the region and reported flu-like symptoms have been isolated and treated, although none have yet tested positive for the new strain.But the spread of confirmed cases in multiple Chinese cities, including neighbouring Shenzhen, has put Hong Kong on edge with face masks rapidly selling out.The SARS outbreak dramatically transformed Hong Kong into a place where the population is now far more conscious of contagion and hygiene standards.
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