A survey showed that 63 percent of the Hong Kong people are willing
to provide help to their neighbors if the latter need to be
quarantined due to severe acute respiratory syndrome infection
(SARS).
The survey was conducted by the New Territories Association of
Societies in Hong Kong with a total of 829 randomly chosen people
over the telephone. The purpose was to find out the opinions of
Hong Kong people over a range of issues related to the SARS
outbreak.
According to a press release issued by the association Tuesday,
about 65 percent of the respondents said Hong Kong's various walks
of life have demonstrated their potential unity, as they continue
to band themselves together to tide over the outbreak of SARS.
It
added that with state leaders meeting with Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, the Central
government's sending in medical supplies to cover the shortages in
Hong Kong's public hospitals, as well as the Hong Kong government's
adoption of contingency measures to aid citizens and businesses
affected by the outbreak of the disease, Hong Kong people have been
touched and are projecting their spirit of unity in response.
"By either alms-giving or the offering of concrete help, mutual
help has become the buzzword in the society. And with the
professionalism and the spirit of sacrificing oneself for others,
Hong Kong's medical workers have also demonstrated their
professionalism touching the hearts of many," the press release
said.
According to the survey, the respondents expressed hopes that the
Hong Kong government would deal with a range of issues that are the
fallouts of SARS in such descending order of importance:
unemployment problems, international image of Hong Kong, reform of
healthcare system, school classes and examinations, as well as the
fiscal deficit of the government.
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2003)
