NARRATOR
It is the year 2009.
CUT TO-
METROPARK HOTEL, WANCHAI, HONG KONG.
People, about forty to fifty of them, men, women, and children, standing at the glass doors of the hotel, staring out. They have been quarantined in the hotel as a person who had stayed there has tested positive for H1N1.
NARRATOR
Something is coming.
CUT TO-
ALOHA LOYANG RESORT, SINGAPORE.
The former resort has been turned into a quarantine zone for suspected H1N1 cases coming in from overseas. Two medics are helping a sickly patient onto a stretcher into an emergency ambulance. The medics is dressed in biosuits, and seem rather out-of-place in the environment.
NARRATOR
An invisible threat.
CUT TO-
CITY CENTRE, MEXICO.
The city centre is deserted, due to the shutting down of non-essential services to halt the progress of the flu. The streets are quiet. The sidewalks are devoid of people. The buildings have all their lights off. Nothing moves or makes a sound.
NARRATOR
A new strain has arisen.
CUT TO-
A SCIENCE LAB.
The place is sterile, and gives out the appearance of being disinfected. Test tubes and other complicated apparatus line the benches along the walls. A lone scientist examines the readout from a computer.
SCIENTIST
(increasingly agitated)
My word... it's evolving!
CUT TO-
A black screen, and sudden silence. A caption is displayed on the screen.
CAPTION
H1N1
WINTER 2009
Ok, so I exaggerated (quite) a bit. For one, the people in the Metropark Hotel were reportedly not that unhappy, though some of them did feel somewhat inconvenienced. Oh, and the part about the biosuits may not be entirely true. But you get my point.
Ever since the start of the H1N1 pandemic, countries have taken many measures, sometimes seeming somewhat extreme, in an attempt to counteract the spread of the virus.
But is it really worthit? Are we overreacting? Are the measures put in place too cruel?
Perhaps I am merely the average 'kiasee' Singaporean, but I feel that the measures are justifiable. Just take the enforced quarantine at the Aloha Loyang resort for example. Ok, sure, your vacation's just been ruined because you're not allowed to go anywhere, but hey, if you were actually sick, down with a fever, even if it was not the H1N1 virus, would your holiday still not be ruined anyway? It is hardly enjoyable to fall ill during an overseas trip. I would even feel safer, in some sense; after all, being in Aloha Loyang means that I would be under constant supervision, and if I actually fell ill with anything serious, I would be able to recieve medical attention rather promptly, and this could avoid any problems and complications.
As for most of Mexico shutting down for five whole days, I feel that this is somewhat justified, since, after all, their death toll was, for mysterious reasons, significantly higher than anywhere else, and hence was considered more of a threat.
In terms of death tolls and death rates, however, the H1N1 is not exactly the most lethal virus ever, but far from it. With a death rate that is even lower than that of the normal seasonal flu, it really hardly seems to be much of a threat.
At least for now.
Of course, it would be really really nice to be able to just say "hey look, its not going to hurt us, its rather pathetic, so lets declare off our state of emergency".
Even I would like to do that too, but in my opinion, I would say wait a while longer. There is always the possibility that a recurrent pandemic might occur. Recently, the Singapore Government decided to loosen up its laws on H1N1. In my opinion, I feel that this is a not a bad idea, as at this stage, with easily over a thousand people already infected, there is really no running from the pandemic; trying to stop it now would be a waste of time and effort (and money) especially since it does not seem to be too severe. However, everyone is still on alert, in case anything worse happens.
As for Metropark Hotel, I would say that it is justified, but besides being a response to the situation, it is also partly an emotional (if that is the right term) response, since Hong Kong was rather badly hit by the SARS pandemic. However, in most cases, I would think that overreaction is better than underreaction; overreaction usually inconveniences while underreaction can easily kill.
In Mexico's case, from our current standpoint, I would say it is somewhat justifiable, but it is also partially an overreaction; but this was very early on in the crisis, I do not think that they should be criticised.
I don't know about you, but, to quote a time-tested maxim, I would rather be safe than to be sorry (and potentially dead).
H1N1- Coming to a person near you, by the Winter 2009 flu season.
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