Building is sealed off due to mystery flu

By DIRK BEVERIDGE Associated Press 4/1/2003

Wearing masks and other medical apparel, Hong Kong police prepare to go inside the Amoy Gardens apartment building, where an outbreak of suspected SARS has caused all 240 residents to be quarantined.

HONG KONG - Health officials sealed off an apartment building and quarantined all 240 residents Monday after reporting an alarming jump in new cases of a mysterious flulike disease.

More than 600 people in this city are believed to have the dangerous respiratory infection, and almost half of those live in the Amoy Gardens apartment complex. Officials reported 92 new cases in the complex Monday.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has prompted officials in Asian countries to enforce little-used quarantine laws, close schools and impose new health screenings on travelers.

The disease, which has no proven treatment, also continued spreading in other affected "hot spots," such as Singapore and Toronto.

Doctors and nurses in Singapore donned special respirator suits designed for handling germ warfare attacks so they could get close to patients infected with SARS.

In Canada, where a health emergency has been declared in Ontario province, Toronto authorities reported that at least two children had been hospitalized with the disease, and three others were showing symptoms of it. But they would not give details.

Worldwide, about 60 people have died from the disease, at least 15 of those in Hong Kong. Government officials are pondering whether to set up quarantine centers if the disease cannot be contained.

The World Health Organization said Monday that experts hope to pinpoint the cause soon, and signs continue to point to the coronavirus.

In Hong Kong, the 240 residents under the apartment quarantine have been ordered to stay inside until midnight April 9. They will get regular medical exams and three free meals a day.

Hong Kong's health secretary, Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong, appeared emotional and had trouble speaking as he said "a very exceptional circumstance" had forced the drastic response.

"We haven't done it before and we hope we won't do it again," he told a news conference.