Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
The means undertaken to combat the disease were highly controversial and resulted in important political and social debate within the region.
The entire population was encouraged to wear a surgical mask (previous photo) when appearing in public and surely over half of the population complied. Residents of a building in which a case was reported were sometimes routed from their dwelling so that their belongings could be sanitized by public health officials. All residential buildings in which a case was reported were posted on the internet as a precautionary measure to the general public and the buildings' residents. The invasion of privacy that resulted from these public health measures was met with resistance.
It was reported that many Hong Kong residents were afraid to leave their residences out of fear of contagion. Someone coughing or sneezing in a public place, for whatever reason, was viewed with suspicion. As the disease was believed to have reached Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland, severe border controls were put into place.