HONG KONG: Hong Kong reported a sharp jump in deaths from the SARS virus yesterday as Asia's fourth largest airline said it could soon ground its fleet if passenger numbers fell further.
In a further sign Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was far from being contained in Hong Kong, the government said five more people had died and a further 42 had been infected with the flu-like virus.
Singapore reported three new deaths from the SARS virus yesterday, taking the toll in the city-state to 12, but added it was making checks on two elderly victims to rule out other possible causes of death.
It was the largest jump in the death toll in weeks. In total, 40 people have died of SARS in Hong Kong since the epidemic began in the city in March. At least 1,150 have been infected.
The virus has been spread by air travellers to nearly 20 countries, killing 128 people and infecting nearly 3,200 worldwide. Singapore and Canada reported three more deaths each.
The illness has crippled tourism in Asia and forced airlines to cuts flights sharply. Economists say the longer the crisis lasts the deeper it will eat into the region's economies and it could push some, including Hong Kong, back into recession.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways said in an internal memo that the company was losing US $3 million a day.
The airline is carrying only a third of its usual traffic volume and a senior official said yesterday the company could not rule out grounding its fleet next month if things got worse.
"If demand falls still further we will have to respond accordingly," said Tony Tyler, director of corporate development.
Hong Kong's airport authority said 195 flights, or 37 per cent of those scheduled, were cancelled yesterday.
Passenger numbers at the airport have fallen more than 60 per cent in recent days.
Canada, which has the third-largest number of SARS cases, said its death toll rose to 13, while there were more than 270 probable or suspected cases of infection.
In Singapore the government said primary and secondary schools would reopen on April 14th and 16th, respectively, after having been closed late last month.
"We are in this for the long haul," Health Minister Mr Lim Hng Kian said when asked if the virus was under control in Singapore.
SARS can lead to severe pneumonia and health officials say they are still not sure exactly how the virus spreads, although close contact with an infected person appears to be the main method of transmission. About 4 per cent of those infected die.
Malaysia banned Chinese tourists last week, and in response Beijing has advised travel agencies not to organise tours to SARS-infected areas, such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, local media said.