German – 7 mins 2 sec – 1644

AMOY GARDENS

(Scene: Skyscraper apartment building)

Commentator:  This is the Amoy Gardens living complex in Hong Kong, metropole of eight  million people.  Here the illness affected most of the 19 000 inhabitants ...

Only in Block E, 250 inhabitants grew ill from SARS.

. It is distressing that an epidemic can break out in an apartment block.

(Scene: Inhabitants from one apartment)

Commentator:  Dennis and Stella Tu live in the neighboring block. Since the outbreak of the disease in the apartment block, they are also worried about contracting this contagious disease. Contact with their family has been minimized by the outbreak. They have sent their eight year old daughter to her grandmother.

[0:00: 35] Dennis: “We took her there at the end of the special school holiday, and we were told by our boss to stay away from the office for the moment.”

00:58:00

Commentator:  “The couple, who have been married for 10 years, especially miss the contact  with their little daughter.  In light of the epidemic, nothing in this city of millions is normal any more.  Many offices are closed; city traffic has reduced by half. The inhabitants rarely leave their houses.

(Scene: People wearing all kinds of surgical masks or other types of nose and mouth covers.)

01:27:00

Commentator:  “Safety masks cover the faces of these people. Children are especially frightened by this unfamiliar situation.”

(Scene: Boy wearing hospital-type face mask. Small boy in red top, seems to be chewing. Two toddlers with baby stroller wearing masks.)

(Scene: Small businesses) [0:01:40]

Commentator:  “Business life in Hong Kong was severely influenced by the disease.”

(Scene: Pavement outside restaurant, being washed with foamy soap.)

01:49

Man in white shirt with mask & gloves: “We disinfect everything in the restaurant to show customers what we are doing against the disease.”

Interviewer: “What percentage of the pieces broke down?” (Unclear what this refers to.)

Man in white shirt: “More than 60%, yes more than 60%.”

[0:02:05] (Scene: Metropole Hotel)

Commentator:  “The metropole Hotel in Kowloon.  From here, it spread to Hong Kong, and from Hong Kong further into Singapore and Canada.” 

(Scene: Inside hotel) [0:02:18]

Commentator: The virus was unknowingly spread among the hotel guests and visitors.  How the virus was transmitted remains unknown.”

 (Scene: Etched/sandblasted window pane reading “Hotel Metropole” in English and Chinese)

[0:02:31] (Scene: Prince of Wales Hospital)

Commentator: “A hotel guest was brought to this hospital.  The disease, which was unknown at the time, could easily have spread amongst the nursing personnel. More than 100 people were infected with it.

00:02:48

Commentator: Professor Leung treated the first SARS patients in this hospital.”

(Scene: Prof. Leung being interviewed by guy in suit.)

02:55

Interviewer: (Question inaudible). 

Leung: “In the beginning, people were not aware of that. The contact happened in hospital and at home. And nowadays, only 4 days ago, we told the people in Hong Kong to wear face masks in all enclosed areas, in airplanes and at home. One should be extremely careful, as nobody can be certain whether somebody does not carry the virus.”

(Scene: Bus and trolley car (streetcar/tramcar) station.)

03:38

Commentator: “The usually overcrowded public transport system carries far less passengers these days. The central business district is avoided unless necessary. Fear of the invisible disease on the faces the people in the street.

(Scene: Various surgical masks of different shapes are exhibited on tables and in Plastic bins with prices in HK dollars.)

03:56

Commentator: “Protective masks of all types are offered for sale on street corners.”

(Scene: poster showing what looks like an ID document with photo of man wearing mask.)

(Scene: Boy & mother wearing masks)

Commentator: “Schools around Hong Kong have been shut by the government.”

(Scene: Masked kids and mothers  hurrying along on sidewalks)

Commentator:  “The kids cannot celebrate this unexpected holiday, however.”

(Scene: Pui Ching Middle School  04:16

Commentator: “All schools are being disinfected.   Class Suspension Notices have been posted on all entrances.

(Scene: Class Suspension Notice) [0:04:22}

Commentator: “The classrooms are deserted ...”

(Scene: Empty classroom)

Commentator: “... and so are the sports fields.”

(Scene: Empty sports fields, pitches and courts.)

04:32

Commentator: “In the Zai Kung vacation town and other such centers in Hong Kong, isolation is obvious.  Entrance is strictly forbidden and the gate guards wear hospital-type protective clothing.”

(Scene: Guards in hospital-theater attire)

(Scene: Apartments in white building in garden-like setting) 04:44

Commentator: “Here the still healthy inhabitants of block E of the Amoy Gardens Complex have been quarantined for an undetermined time.”

(Scene: Prof. Leung)

Commentator: “Professor Leung is as puzzled as the experts about the way the disease propagated itself and infected people.”[1]

Leung: “Normally the incubation should be four to eight days, but we did see a few cases who contacted somebody definite and then fell sick after even three to four weeks. It was very peculiar.”

05:27

Commentator: “While the experts know little about how the disease incubates and spreads, the inhabitants of Hong Kong live in fear.”

(Scene: Hong Kong city buildings.)

(Scene: Interior of large divided open-plan office.  Employees with surgical masks, some wearing white surgical gloves.)

Commentator: “In the studio of Swiss architect Remo Riva, work continues unabated. All employees wear masks, some also wear gloves.

05:47

Riva has asked his employees personally to keep his business going as many of his projects are bound to time schedules.”

(Scene: Riva seated at small round office table.)

Commentator: “His employees have the choice to come to the office or stay at home.”

Riva: We've had a problem for a week in this building. On one of the floors a person has become ill and naturally everyone is nervous. Everyone needs to use the same lift and I don't know if we can get ill by touching the buttons or pressing something, the door... naturally the people are nervous.

 (Scene: Pictures and scale models of buildings)

Riva: “Of course, many of the people got angry and went home.”

(Scene: Riva seated; large  colored-in black & white photo of Mao Dze Dong on the wall.)

06:23

Commentator: Meanwhile, in the Amoy Gardens living complex, more inhabitants are becoming infected. An ambulance collects those who have recently become ill. Every possible precaution is taken.

(Scene: Persons with a bouquet of flowers plus some plastic bags, probably containing purchases, crossing street towards Amoy Gardens Apartment blocks.)

06:37

Commentator: Hong Kong is preparing for the worst.

(Scene: Ambulance personnel putting patient into ambulance.)

Commentator: Hospitals dealt with 3000 more patients with SARS, a press release said yesterday. The feared catastrophe had only just begun.

End of Video