Main Effects of SARS Turn Out to Be Psychological, Economic
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: China reported another SARS death today. Singapore reported one, and Hong Kong four more. Worldwide, the reported death toll from the respiratory disease has 172, with more than 3,000 infected now. China's Communist Party ordered government officials not to conceal SARS cases after criticism the country's reluctance to provide information may very well have aggravated the worldwide outbreak. Now no one has died in the U.S. from SARS. There are 208 potential cases. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 35 of those meet the World Health Organization's definition of probable SARS cases. In New York City, the main effects of the disease turn out to be psychological and economic, as CNN's Jason Carroll explains.</s>JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in Chinatown, you can really see the effects of the fear of catching SARS. There are 10 likely cases of SARS in New York City; they come from all over the city. And in each case, it is believed that the person contracted the disease overseas. But even so, there is a perception here in the city that there are a number of people walking around on the streets who are carrying the disease, and that simply is not the case. Here in Chinatown, we've seen people walking around with masks covering their faces, scarves, tissues, in some cases. Businesses here are taking a major hit. Business owners telling us that their customers are telling them that they're simply too afraid to come down to the area because of fear of SARS. The Centers for Disease Control saying that people should not succumb to their fears, that they should use their common sense.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time there's an epidemic of new infectious diseases, it's also followed by an epidemic of fear. We're seeing increasing reports about the stigma in the Asian community associated with</s>SARS. CARROLL: In order to jump start things in the business community, New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, came down to Chinatown earlier in the week. He dined at local restaurant, telling people there was no need to worry about coming down here, no need to worry about catching SARS. He said in a crowded city like New York City, a person is far more likely to get caught in some sort of a traffic accident. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.