Madam, - I write as a long-term Irish resident of Hong Kong to express my dismay and embarrassment at the decision by the Minister of Health to ban teams from SARS-affected countries from attending the Special Olympics next month.
Many people in SARS-affected cities, notably Toronto, complained that the WHO was being over-cautious in its travel advisories. Now Mr Martin apparently feels the need to be even more cautious, but only in relation to this one group. Why should a member of a Special Olympics team pose any more of a risk than any other individual visiting Ireland from one of the affected areas?
This decision comes as the SARS outbreak is being brought under control in most countries and life is beginning to return to normal in Singapore and Hong Kong. Let's also put the numbers in context: out of Hong Kong's population of roughly 7 million, 274 people were under active hospital treatment for SARS on May 18th. The Philippines, with a population of 76.5 million, has had a total of 10 cases of SARS.
The Irish Government has done sterling work to raise Ireland's profile in Asia in recent years. The goodwill visit last year of the L.E. Niamh to several Asian ports, including Hong Kong, was a high point.
Mr Martin's decision does immense damage to Ireland's reputation in this region and the Government will find that goodwill, which takes many years to build up, can evaporate very quickly in the face of intemperate and ill-considered actions. - Yours, etc.,
HARRY O'NEILL,
Mid Levels,
Hong Kong.
Madam, - I believe the Minister for Health has made a correct if difficult judgment. Should a suspected case occur among these athletes while in Ireland, the whole of the games would be thrown into disarray and our overstretched resources put under intolerable strain. There are times when the head must rule the heart and this is one of them.
I write this letter because this unpopular decision has brought such overwhelmingly one-sided criticism. - Yours, etc.,
Dr DOM COLBERT,
Taylors Hill,
Galway.