Singapore cautious to declare virus downturn

SINGAPORE authorities said yesterday it was too early to say its outbreak of the deadly SARS virus had peaked, and braced the nation for higher unemployment as visitor arrivals plunged and a major regional airline fired staff.

Singapore, coping with the world’s fourth-highest number of infections of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, saw two new SARS cases yesterday, including the death of a 43-year-old taxi driver, after reporting no new cases in the previous two days. The World Health Organisation said on Monday Singapore’s SARS outbreak had peaked, but Health Minister Lim Hng Kiang said that view was premature given an average of three new cases a day in the island republic over the past 10 days and 23 deaths in total.

“Our basic tone must be to be extra careful, extra vigilant, and if anything, to err on the safe side,” Lim said.