Scars left by Sars crisis remain

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When the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) hit Singapore in 2003, taxi drivers rejected passengers going to hospitals, companies hastily formulated plans to let staff work from home, and some people lost their jobs.

The viral respiratory disease infected 238 people here and killed 33, including doctors and nurses.

Memories of those dark days have been flooding back lately with the outbreak of the Wuhan virus.

Sars arrived here after three Singaporean women returned from holidaying in Hong Kong in February 2003. They were hospitalised for pneumonia between March 1 and 3.

Two recovered without infecting anyone, but one of them infected 22 close friends and family.

She was dubbed by officials as “super-infector No. 1”.

Her parents and pastor, who contracted the disease while visiting her in hospital, later died.

Recalling how worried Singaporeans were during that period, sales support analyst, Mr Mohd Ali Khan, 37, said: “I remember sitting in the MRT and there was an elderly man in front of me.

He coughed and I could see the fear on the other passengers’ faces.

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