Hong Kong calls for the U.S. to screen passengers at airports for flu

some comments are offensive

 

You have to realize that there are a number of airports, not only HK, have implemented the screening procedures already.

When a high infectious disease bursts in the community, you have little hope to completely prevent it turning into pandemic nowadays. We can only delay the process as much as we can and our goal is to prevent the outbreak in HK happen before summer school break. If there was going to be an outbreak in HK, we hope it will take place during summer break where infections cases in schools and colleges could be limited.

Over 300 infected cases were found in my neighbourhood during SARs and over 40 were died and it all started from ONE SINGLE VISITOR to an apartment in Amoy Gardens. This is a lesson learned.

I won't pretend to be an expert but I am pretty sure that what the experts fear most now is the increasing infected cases will end up increases the possibility of the H1N1 virus mutates into a really deadly one like H5N1.

You called our officers*1 "alarmists", we consider ourselves being responsible to the world (HK International Airport is the busiest airport in the world) and we expect your country to be one also.

The investment on installing those body temperature monitors isn't as much as you think, at least the cost is way less than the anti-terrorists security screen procedure where the rest of the world implemented in their airports, last time I check, we are not the one killing civilians in Middle East.

Note: *1 Our "Customs" don't perform the screening, those are the staff hired by the Airport. They are not the law enforcement agents, just normal civilians like you and me trying to do their jobs.

 

So let's install millions of dollars worth of expensive equipment to perform inaccurate tests that will inconvenience people and cost millions more dollars in delays and postponements, and probably will be ineffective in even stopping the spread of the virus, because even though swine flu isn't a big deal and is been as mild as the regular flu, it could magically mutate into something that is a big deal at some point in the future, because somebody in HK is worried about SARS.

Your case is not very compelling.

 

Please don't throw out such incorrect information about the delays and postponements of your million dollar trips due to the body temperature screening process unless you have experienced once before.

You talked like every single passenger has to stop by and get screened while the fact is you are uninterrupted at all while passing by those monitors (installed at one side of the passages in HK, I also went to another country where their monitors are installed at their Custom counters). Only those with abnormal body temperature (fever suspected) needs to be further examined hence will be requested to stop by. There won't be a second of delay of you precious moments.

I don't know how much those monitors cost but if countries in the third world can affort to install, I don't see why United States of America cannot.

BTW, this is off topic but you might want to know in case you don't, to protect your country's pork export business, WHO has requested the rest of the world not to call the disease Swine Flu anymore, it is called H1N1 Influenza A now. We are fine with that and happy to comply.

 

LOL, Have you ever been to an American airport? Do you honestly think this process can be implemented without delay and smoothly and efficiently? And it doesn't even work, that's the awesome part:

http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090216/090216_fever_screening/20090216/?hub=CP24Home

Spend millions to implement a problematic process that doesn't work, to guard against a negligible threat.....no thanks.

 

Honestly I have not been to US before, if Yao remains as a Rocket next season, I may plan a trip for a game in Houston.

I also don't know the protocols in your country to get those monitors installed in your airports hence I did not mention in my posts that it could be implemented smoothly, efficiently and without delay. All I said was that the screening process will not cause delays to your trip (like you claimed) unless your body temparature is abnormally high.

The contents of the article you quoted is laughable in so many ways. I doubt you even read it before you posted it. You are probably too excited to find hits when you googled "temperature screening, little benefits". Sorry I quote myself again here just to clarify that our GOAL is not to completely prevent the spread of the disease and we are well aware that it (the outbreak) is simply inevitable:

[rQUOTEr]When a high infectious disease bursts in the community, you have little hope to completely prevent it turning into pandemic nowadays. We can only delay the process as much as we can and our goal is to prevent the outbreak in HK happen before summer school break. If there was going to be an outbreak in HK, we hope it will take place during summer break where infections cases in schools and colleges could be limited.[/rQUOTEr]

You have your right to think it is a no big deal. I am sorry your ego gets hurt when we called out your government being irresponsible but I think words like "morons", "yobs" towards us are simply uncalled for. I am just trying my best to present our reasons behind to you and I know my effort is in vain.

In case I don't post in this thread again, I appreciate guys like Sishir and Meh being understand our feelings. I cannot reply every post as it takes too much time of mine to write in English.

It is very late in HK now (4am) and I have to check out. So what's your way of saying so?

Peace?

 

I'm not sure what you're arguing here. The whole point isn't the true threat of the swine flu, but the "perceived" threat of the swine flu, exaggerated through media coverages that likes to blow things out of proportion. Which is causing panic in HK and other parts of China.

If the US can ask the rest of the world to spend billions upon billions of dollars to make us feel comfortable with 9/11 part 2, I don't see why it's such a big deal for HK to ask us to spend millions to give their citizens a peace of mind.

 

What if Hong Kong just lines the airport terminals with cow bells -- you know in case anyone's got a fevva.

 

Then the swine flu becomes the mad cow bell swine flu.

NOT GOOD

 

Sam,

You kep repeating the the screening procedure is too inconvenient and causes delay to passengers, which is not. Apparently, you never went through one. You are just barking off from your own mouth to back up
your points which seem so pathetic to us. Keep barking, we might just throw you a bone.

You keep saying it's too expensive to implement. compare to what ?
It's a drop in the ocean compare to the bail out money that are given out almost on a daily basis in the U.S .

This thing could spread like a wild fire in our part of the world.
We don't want our businesses to close, our kids stop going to schools and our hospitals to be overwhelmed.

Any solution you can offer ?? Besides barking.

 

It's already in your part of the world. It's in ours too. And none of those things have happened.

So my solution is for you to stop whining.

 

Sam,

I am not whining. I am looking for solutions. Your response doesn't help.

The Hong Kong authority is doing the right thing to take precautionary
steps to safeguard the health and safety of its own citizens.

It's better to take the pain of inconveniences now than sorry later.

Anyway, enjoy the game.

Go Rox !

 

^ Why would anybody go to China now? They are busy paving over the good parts.

 

I'm an american and I have to go to China on Friday for a business trip. I already have my Visa, so I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

It kills the young and the obese, leaving a world of old skinny people. The horror, the horror....

 

I just arrived in China yesterday. San Fran to Shanghai, here is how it went down...

When we landed in Shanghai, we were instructed to stay in our seats because the health inspection crew would be coming through. We were told that if you have a fever, then all 3 rows in front of you and all 3 rows behind you would be quarantined at the airport. They would draw blood from the person with the fever, test that person for swine flu on the spot and if negative, then you all would be let go.

Guys in white looking space suits came through the cabin with temperature reading guns. They asked you to close your eyes while they pointed the gun at your forehead. The gun took the reading and then they punched in your seat number and progressed thru the cabin. This took only about 30 extra minutes on a FULL 747 - so they were very efficent. Then, when getting off, before customs, you went through a health check area where you turned in your health form, and this is where you also had your information and seat number. A flight attendant told me that someone had a fever on a flight the previous week and they tested that individual and determined that they did have the flu, but it was not swine flu so they let them go. I was told that those rows of people were stuck at the airport for about 9 hours while this testing was taking place.