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SARS Crisis Outrages Canadians NewsMax.com WiresTORONTO – Outrage is spreading in Canada over the the World Health Organization's warning that travelers should avoid Toronto because of SARS. In Beijing, also on WHO's list of banned cities, China closed a major hospital to try to slow the spread of the deadly virus.
Outside Asia, the biggest hotspot for severe acute respiratory syndrome has been Toronto, which is only about 120 miles from Buffalo, N.Y. WHO has reported 140 cases in Toronto, including 13 deaths. Worldwide, the case count is 4,288 in 27 countries, with a death toll of 251. "I've never been angrier in my life," Mayor Mel Lastman said. "I'm shocked. The medical evidence before us does not support this advisory."
Lastman called an emergency city council session for today to form a strategy to deal with the economic impact as hotels have emptied and bus companies have reported hundreds of thousands in losses. Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, called WHO's warning "inappropriate." "The fact we have not seen any further secondary cases over the last two weeks tells us it has been contained ... no further dissemination. Therefore the community is not at risk," Low said.
"It is perfectly safe to walk down the street in Toronto," said Dr. James Young, Ontario's commissioner of public security. "And all of us walk down the street every day, without masks."
The powerful influence of WHO's travel advisory became immediately apparent as Britain warned citizens to avoid Canada's largest city. The Canadian province of Nova Scotia briefly did likewise until it caved to pressure from national officials. Air Canada cut capacity 12 percent in April and plans a 16 percent cut in May. Thousands of hospitality industry workers already have been laid off, and downtown Toronto hotel occupancy rates have fallen to 48 percent, compared with 70 percent last April. Major League Baseball warned players to avoid crowds, hospitals and public transportation when playing the Toronto Blue Jays, who begin a nine-game home stand Friday. That said, Elliot Pellman, baseball's medical adviser, said the odds of catching SARS were remote. Blue Jays President Paul Godfrey called the warning "alarmist." Ten teams are scheduled to visit Toronto before the all-star break. Canadians Banned From U.S. Cruise Ships Crystal Cruises of Los Angeles announced it would keep Toronto residents from boarding its ships next month and other cruise lines are considering similar action. About 2,000 Tories are scheduled to attend a leadership convention next month in Toronto, and fears are mounting over whether the conclave should be canceled. Tory spokesman William Stairs said no decision had been made but the situation was being monitored. The government of Ontario already has asked Ottawa for disaster-relief funds. Municipal Affairs Minister David Young estimated damage from the disease at $20.6 million (CAD30 million) so far. Ted Carmichael, the chief Canadian economist for J.P. Morgan Securities Canada Inc., estimated the virus could cut second-quarter growth by half, some $2.5 billion (CAD3.7 billion). Other economists, however, said it is difficult to separate the impact of SARS from the effect of the war in Iraq. Without quantifying the effect of SARS specifically, Bank of Canada on Wednesday cut its 2003 gross domestic product targets to 2.5 percent for the year from 3 percent in January and predicted a possible increase in interest rates. "There will be an impact during the second quarter but at this point, we cannot estimate an exact figure for this impact," Bank of Canada Gov. David Dodge told reporters in Ottawa. He noted the Toronto metropolitan area accounted for 20 percent of the country's economic activity. Whether aid will be forthcoming was unclear. Canadian Health Minister Anne McLellan declined to label the outbreak a national emergency. In the past, federal disaster aid has been limited to natural disasters. "We quite understand that there are economic repercussions to this," Finance Minister Janet Ecker said. The government has sent 10,000 masks and two mobile X-ray machines to the city. Prime Minister Jean Chretien ate a meal in Chinatown recently in a bid to allay fears. "This is slaughtering the Toronto economy," Jack Layton, a former Toronto municipal councilor and leader of the New Democratic Party, told the Toronto Globe and Mail. "Where is the federal voice on this? Where is the proactive strategy? It's just being [allowed] to happen." Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
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