As I understand it the HKAOA is offering a complete return to normal working in this time of crisis...........let's hope that there is a reciprocation when the crisis is over.
The WHO on the World Service last night sounded a great deal more worried about SARS than the apologists above, in fact it seems to me that attitudes like 'don't worry it's only flu....' were part of the reason that all this got out of control. The WHO said they were increasingly worried that, amongst the 9 that died yesterday, some were fully fit before contracting the disease, and yet still died, refuting the suggestion that it was a disease that only killed those already in some sort of respiratory distress. More info can be found for both pax and crew on the Center for Disease Control website, based in Atlanta, which is in overall control of this sort of situation.
For those who say that SARS only has a 4% death rate, a: who wants to volunteer to be one of the 4%? b: the world population is now 4.8 billion, many, many more than in the 1919 influenza pandemic, and the spread of vectors through all sorts of travel could turn this really nasty. Multiply 4.8 billion by 4%, and see what the answer is, and you'll see why the WHO and CDC are worried. Hiding under the covers over this will not help to find a solution, and in fact may make things a great deal more difficult to control.
Finally, while worrying about your one weeks unpaid leave, spare a thought for the local people in Hong Kong, attempting to get through this difficult and fightening time under a drastically underfunded medical system overseen by a bunch of bureacrats who are obviously desparately out of their depth.