By IPS Correspondents
BEIJING, Jun 9 2003 (IPS)

For Chinese journalist Bai Weitao, the last few months have been nothing less than a nightmare that changed the life he knew, and made him value all the little things he took for granted.

For Chinese journalist Bai Weitao, the last few months have been nothing less than a nightmare that changed the life he knew, and made him value all the little things he took for granted.

For some three weeks from April to May, Bai had to be quarantined rather suddenly. He was found to have talked to a couple whose six-year-old girl was diagnosed as having atypical pneumonia, as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is referred to in China.

"I was put into a hastily transformed small room with nothing but a cot. My only link to the outside world was a mobile phone, which has to be recharged everyday. Everyone was frightened to see me, as if I were the epidemic itself, " Bai recalls in an interview.

Fear and loneliness have plagued many more among the nearly 30,000 people who have been quarantined at some point in this city of 16 million people, since the Chinese government took extreme steps to curb the SARS epidemic.

Since then – the quarantine system has been key to stopping chains of transmission – Beijing’s reported number of cases has fallen from more than 100 a day in mid-April to less than 10 in recent weeks.

This also means that Beijing’s residents are getting to used to life with SARS. Already, restaurants are starting to see patrons coming back. Fewer people are donning face masks and traffic jams have begun to reappear as more residents go out of their homes.

"When people’s alarm hits a peak, they will have a strong desire for a release and relax themselves in different ways, like shopping or having a party," says Zhi Ran, director of the SARS counseling hotline in Beijing. They may not pay due attention to preventive measures against infection, such as hand washing and sanitation. "This is very dangerous," he warns.

But whatever the number of SARS cases, the disease has already changed the routine of many here – and it will continue to be at the back of their minds until it is stopped or a vaccine is found.

Their recent experience is something that Wang Jiangang and his wife, the parents of the girl that had SARS and who Bai came in contact with, will not forget. Staying in isolation in a hotel room in west Beijing, they were unable to sleep soundly when their daughter was hospitalised for SARS.

"A patch of my hair turned white overnight. And I lost almost four kilos. Not a day passed without my having a bad dream, and every time I shouted in my dream, my husband would haul me from bed," says Wang’s wife.

Hotlines have been set up for people who have been caught unawares by SARS or fear they might have it. With just 20 days after opening two hotlines in late April, the Huayu Centre for Crisis Intervention got more than 1,000 calls.

"From the calls one could feel that the psychological shadow cast over the public (by SARS) far exceeds its actual impact," says Fan Lihua, director of the centre.

Doctors, nurses and medical workers are not exempted from the prevailing fear, given that some 400 medical workers have caught SARS on the job, or about one in every six SARS patients.

At the peak of infection in late April, many hospitals suffered from a lack of cleaners who, not being formal employees, deserted their jobs.

For medical workers, sticking to pressure-filled routines to fight SARS while keeping themselves safe from it has been far from easy as the anti-SARS campaign stretches into months.

"When the outside temperature is around 30 degrees Centigrade, we still have to put on three layers of protection wear from head to feet, with three surgical masks each with 16 layers as well as goggles covering the face. Everyday, we are soaked to the skin with sweat," says Liu Xuetao, a nurse working in a hospital set up for SARS patients on the outskirts of Beijing.

Medical workers have taken to using disposable diapers so they can complete their six-hour shifts inside their protective gear – and not have to go through tedious hygiene procedures required each time they go to the toilet. Many drink the minimum amount of water during their shifts to avoid having to take those breaks.

Estimates are that 60 percent of residents have been shunning crowded places because of fears of SARS, but many are also seeking outdoor activities that are seen to be less risky.

Parks that used to be frequented mostly by the aged are now filled with people of all ages, desperate to inhale fresh air and do outdoor exercises to boost their immunity against SARS. "We dare not venture into other places with high density of people. It’s safe here with an open lake and the entrance is cheap," says Chang Jie, who takes her 7-year-old son the Lianhuachi (Lotus pond) Park near the West Beijing Railway Station.

Because cinemas, concert halls and Internet bars have been closed since Apr. 26 to avoid high human concentrations that might add to the spread of the virus, other residents are turning to the virtual world at home.

An on-line survey by the Qianlong news website of 437 Internet users shows that over half have been watching on-line movies during the ‘special vacation’ due to SARS, since school was closed.

Close to 40 percent of respondents say working at home has even increased their efficiency.

For the city’s 1.7 million primary and high school students, the unexpected vacation since Apr. 24 has not been squandered. Before the schools in the city proper resume on Jul. 14, the municipal education committee pooled together the resources of seven on-line schools to offer free courses through the Internet.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BEIJING, Jun 9 2003 (IPS)

For Chinese journalist Bai Weitao, the last few months have been nothing less than a nightmare that changed the life he knew, and made him value all the little things he took for granted.

For some three weeks from April to May, Bai had to be quarantined rather suddenly. He was found to have talked to a couple whose six-year-old girl was diagnosed as having atypical pneumonia, as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is referred to in China.

"I was put into a hastily transformed small room with nothing but a cot. My only link to the outside world was a mobile phone, which has to be recharged everyday. Everyone was frightened to see me, as if I were the epidemic itself, " Bai recalls in an interview.

Fear and loneliness have plagued many more among the nearly 30,000 people who have been quarantined at some point in this city of 16 million people, since the Chinese government took extreme steps to curb the SARS epidemic.

Since then – the quarantine system has been key to stopping chains of transmission – Beijing’s reported number of cases has fallen from more than 100 a day in mid-April to less than 10 in recent weeks.

Amid this trend, doctors worry about complacency. Indeed, new cases reported last week on Jun. 3 showed that SARS is far from gone from the country even if the epidemic has peaked.

This also means that Beijing’s residents are getting to used to life with SARS. Already, restaurants are starting to see patrons coming back. Fewer people are donning face masks and traffic jams have begun to reappear as more residents go out of their homes.

"When people’s alarm hits a peak, they will have a strong desire for a release and relax themselves in different ways, like shopping or having a party," says Zhi Ran, director of the SARS counseling hotline in Beijing. They may not pay due attention to preventive measures against infection, such as hand washing and sanitation. "This is very dangerous," he warns.

But whatever the number of SARS cases, the disease has already changed the routine of many here – and it will continue to be at the back of their minds until it is stopped or a vaccine is found.

Their recent experience is something that Wang Jiangang and his wife, the parents of the girl that had SARS and who Bai came in contact with, will not forget. Staying in isolation in a hotel room in west Beijing, they were unable to sleep soundly when their daughter was hospitalised for SARS.

"A patch of my hair turned white overnight. And I lost almost four kilos. Not a day passed without my having a bad dream, and every time I shouted in my dream, my husband would haul me from bed," says Wang’s wife.

Hotlines have been set up for people who have been caught unawares by SARS or fear they might have it. With just 20 days after opening two hotlines in late April, the Huayu Centre for Crisis Intervention got more than 1,000 calls.

"From the calls one could feel that the psychological shadow cast over the public (by SARS) far exceeds its actual impact," says Fan Lihua, director of the centre.

Doctors, nurses and medical workers are not exempted from the prevailing fear, given that some 400 medical workers have caught SARS on the job, or about one in every six SARS patients.

At the peak of infection in late April, many hospitals suffered from a lack of cleaners who, not being formal employees, deserted their jobs.

For medical workers, sticking to pressure-filled routines to fight SARS while keeping themselves safe from it has been far from easy as the anti-SARS campaign stretches into months.

"When the outside temperature is around 30 degrees Centigrade, we still have to put on three layers of protection wear from head to feet, with three surgical masks each with 16 layers as well as goggles covering the face. Everyday, we are soaked to the skin with sweat," says Liu Xuetao, a nurse working in a hospital set up for SARS patients on the outskirts of Beijing.

Medical workers have taken to using disposable diapers so they can complete their six-hour shifts inside their protective gear – and not have to go through tedious hygiene procedures required each time they go to the toilet. Many drink the minimum amount of water during their shifts to avoid having to take those breaks.

Estimates are that 60 percent of residents have been shunning crowded places because of fears of SARS, but many are also seeking outdoor activities that are seen to be less risky.

Parks that used to be frequented mostly by the aged are now filled with people of all ages, desperate to inhale fresh air and do outdoor exercises to boost their immunity against SARS. "We dare not venture into other places with high density of people. It’s safe here with an open lake and the entrance is cheap," says Chang Jie, who takes her 7-year-old son the Lianhuachi (Lotus pond) Park near the West Beijing Railway Station.

Because cinemas, concert halls and Internet bars have been closed since Apr. 26 to avoid high human concentrations that might add to the spread of the virus, other residents are turning to the virtual world at home.

An on-line survey by the Qianlong news website of 437 Internet users shows that over half have been watching on-line movies during the ‘special vacation’ due to SARS, since school was closed.

Close to 40 percent of respondents say working at home has even increased their efficiency.

For the city’s 1.7 million primary and high school students, the unexpected vacation since Apr. 24 has not been squandered. Before the schools in the city proper resume on Jul. 14, the municipal education committee pooled together the resources of seven on-line schools to offer free courses through the Internet.

Excerpt: