The article reflects on the SARS outbreak of 2003, drawing parallels with the COVID-19 pandemic. In Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak, life drastically changed with widespread mask-wearing and deserted public spaces, contrasting with the limited attention SARS received globally. With hindsight, the author notes how the experience served as a precursor to the much broader implications of COVID-19, which resulted in over 7 million confirmed deaths worldwide and significant social and political consequences still unfolding today.
Overnight, all of Hong Kong wore surgical masks, and airports, hotels, and restaurants were abandoned as the SARS outbreak took hold.
The coronavirus that caused SARS turned out to be far less infectious than it first appeared, allowing the outbreak to peter out with fewer deaths.
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