Sars scars fuel fear in HK as Mers virus plan starts

Hong Kong

WHEN images of spacesuit-clad health workers cordoning off a Hong Kong clinic over a suspected Mers case appeared online this week, the effects were immediate: stocks dropped and a social media frenzy began.

The patient in question tested negative for the virus and the city so far has no confirmed cases. The precautions at the clinic were only a part of an extensive infectious disease response programme the city has put in place ever since another coronavirus - Sars - devastated it in 2003.