Hong Kong (Fides Service) - "There is fear but also reciprocal solidarity": says Fr Dino Doimo, regional superior of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, PIME, in Hong Kong, with regard to the situation in Hong Kong severely affected by the deadly SARS virus.
"Any block of flats where there is a case of SARS is immediately signalled to the public and the authorities. It should be remembered that Hong Kong was the first to sound the initial alarm. The first figures on the diffusion of the virus were made public on a web page belonging to a group of four young men in Hong Kong. When the situation became serious the local government took over the task of providing information".
"People appear to be calm - Fr Dino says - but this is a time of tremendous worry and concern. People are angry about the delay with which the Hong Kong authorities and the central government in China took action. They are frustrated, uncertain what to do, as if they were wandering in the fog. In the meantime they are trying to carry on living as usual, while taking all the necessary precautions".
At this moment of fear and concern Christians in Hong Kong turn to prayer for support and comfort. "I have heard that Catholics are praying the rosary over the telephone to feel closer to each other since it is not advisable to meet in great numbers" says Fr Dino adding that " Easter liturgies however were more crowded than usual. I think on the one hand because people who usually go to the mainland for holidays stayed in Hong Kong and on the other, at this time of uncertainty and worry people want to come together, feeling the need for God more deeply. The most unhappy are those affected by SARS and their families because the patients are kept in close quarantine: they have to suffer alone and those who die, also have to die alone, without the comfort of a friend or a priest. No one is allowed to go near them. However the Hong Kong diocese is making a list of priests to submit to the local government for permission to administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to SARS patients."
Another problem signalled by Fr Dino is the danger of economic collapse: "Hong Kong airport activity is reduced to one third its usual traffic, restaurants are empty and tourism is at a standstill. Public transport and offices and the shops are deserted. But the Chinese people are facing the emergency with the determination and resistance to pain typical of their nature. We are certain this tragedy will be overcome. The sun is still shining in Hong Kong". PA (Fides Service 23/4/2003 EM lines 52 Words: 721)