This is a guest blog written by Marc Kijner who shares his experience having lived through the 2003-2004 SARS pandemic in Hong Kong and now the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A perspective on what living through one pandemic taught him for the future.
The Beginning of the SARS Outbreak:
The first cases of SARS happened in around March 2003 at a University Hospital, impacting mostly teaching professors and medical students. Similar to how the Coronavirus pandemic unfolded in the United States in 2020, most people were not too concerned at the onset of the SARS outbreak. In the photo below, you could see that workers in the MTR (the local subway) were wearing masks and gloves but the vast majority of people didn’t really know about social distancing yet as SARS began to unfold in 2003. Masks and gloves are commonly used in Asia especially when someone is sick to avoid spreading which is less common in the United States or Europe from my experience.
Life went on normally for most people until the second strong wave came a few days later when a popular housing community in Kowloon named “Amoy Gardens” was hit very hard with over 300 cases almost simultaneously. This was a highly populated complex with nearly 20 high rise towers and a famous shopping center connecting them all together. Hong Kong island is a very highly populated area very similar to Manhattan with very small housings and a highly gentrified area. If you take NYC with nearly 70,000 people per sq mile, compared to HK with nearly 20,000 people per sq mile and juxtapose it to Park City Utah with 888 people per sq mile you can quickly see how a pandemic can spread so quickly (source).
Hong Kong Authorities React:
The HK local authority were quite overwhelmed during the initial SARS outbreak as they had never seen something quite like this, but moved quickly to implement a vigorous and strict plan:
Mandatory Isolation was requested similar to our current stay at home orders
Surveillance was put in place so people similar to our curfews
Schools and Universities were closed down same as now in the USA
Major office towers were on limited or fully restricted access same as the US
Temperature check-points were frequent in MTR or other points of entry such as malls, ferry terminals, airports, hospitals etc. which I haven’t seen here
Some districts (neighborhoods name) underwent deep cleansing campaigns which I haven’t seen either here in the USA
Above is a picture of the Lippo Center, a very famous office building with a large courtyard and green areas in the financial district where people usually gather during the week at lunch time and for picnics on Sunday. There was barely anyone in sight during SARS.
The virus spread, with other places in the world starting to get hit such as China, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea and Canada.
In the beginning, I decided to stay away from the busy city center and spent most of my time visiting places that had little to no population such as Lantau Island and the Ngong Ping area which is home to the world largest bronze buddha statue and many hiking trails.
As the virus continued to spread, the situation quickly escalated, and we had to stay inside and find creative ways to remain occupied. At the time Netflix, streaming services, Zoom, Bluejeans, Skype, smartphones and personal tablets did not exist yet and high-speed Internet was a luxury reserved to a select few such as large businesses and university campuses. We were lucky if we had around 980kbps and cable TV. I relied mostly on Internet cafes, but my beloved Blackberry quickly become the replacement. Who remembers AOL instant messenger, Blackberry Ping, Apple Powerbook G3 and Sonny Vayo’s with their “mega” advanced 30GB ultra hard drives?
Adapting to Life in Qurantine – Then and Now:
I was watching my favorite DVD’s and listened to my iPod top playlists during that time. I was able to create inspiration for a relaxed workplace and keep my mind off thanks to movies and music. It helped me focus and stay calm during those trying times. Today, I use a combination of Youtube Yoga channels in the morning with my favorite Pandora stations throughout my work days. Creating serenity is key to staying calm and positive. Music elevates the mood while films and series are a great source of entertainment.
Using plants and flowers to bring life and color into my workplace was the perfect way to bring outdoor wonders inside when I was stuck in a 35 square meter flat (approximately 370sq ft). I had a little orange tree at the time which helped create a sense of serenity around a tight space and smelled wonderful. Plants are very soothing natural elements and they purify the ambient air. Today, I am lucky enough to live in a large home with outdoor space and balconies, so I can “talk” to my basil, mint, lemongrass and other aromatic herb plots daily. They are also a great source of fresh produce to add to our daily meals and drinks. Whilst in Asia, I picked up the habit of adding mint and fresh citrus to my water as a way to cut the chlorine taste that many filtered tap water had. It’s a great way to stay hydrated and healthy.
On the topic of staying healthy, body and mind need to be aligned. So I also learned to snack healthy and picked up the habit of eating roasted cashew nuts which are common in HK and practice Tai Chi stretches. I also succumbed to the infamous dried shredded fish strings which can leave your tongue all kind of colors thanks to natural skid and fish colorant. Eating well is key to staying happy and healthy while indoors and exercising regularly. Delivery service was available at the time and they helped greatly to avoid getting out.
Creating a calming and stress-free environment was important to my mental health. I watched the news daily, texted colleagues and friends regularly to keep a social element to my day and concentrated on goals I had set for myself. For instance, I wanted to improve certain computer skills at the time which I had not had the time to practice during normal times. I actually learned how to type fluidly to nearly 60 words per minute. I also learned a new blogging tool at the time which had just been released: Wordpress which every traveler started to use for their personal blogs. Remember setting daily goals for yourself and keeping your mind active will improve your cognitive performance and give you a sense of accomplishments.
Today, I start my day by logging on to the Compass Academy portal and pick up a new set of skills or brush up on existing ones in the real estate realm. I keep in touch with clients and team members daily via Zoom and conduct virtual tours with our various projects in Florida and NYC in order to practice social distancing.
The most vivid memory I have was bringing pleasant colors to my tight space as Hong Kong is a vibrant and colorful city as the below picture from Winter 2011 shows. These had many therapeutic benefits that my mind needed to deal with the stress. Today I also have the presence of my wife and my dog to keep me company which are a major contribution to my daily happiness.
Lastly, the pandemic was contained and eventually we were able to go back to work, travel and learn from this experience. I have since lived in Thailand and Japan for nearly 8 years and spent an additional 5 years in NYC and have came back to Hong Kong multiple times for work and to see family and friends. I have since been practicing what I valuably learned from the SARS experience. Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea are among the model countries with their dealing with Covid19 as they had been tried hard by SARS and were already equipped to deal with a pandemic. I can say that I was already prepared for Covid19 given my experience with SARS.
The most important thing is to remember that most of us who reside in highly developed countries are fortunate enough to rely on essential workers who risk their lives daily to support our community in getting better meanwhile we are in the comfort of our homes staying safe and healthy. We simply have to be patient, thankful and help them by staying home. Because of an evermore connected world, we can transact with each other and continue to build our communities, keeping our minds busy by picking up new skills and continuing to learn.
From our family to yours we wish you good health and serenity during these unprecedented times and remain at your service for all your needs in NY and Florida.