Singapore has today been officially removed from the list of countries with recent local transmissions of SARS, boosting the city-state's efforts to revive its ailing tourism and related industries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) changed Singapore's status after it went 20 straight days without a new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infection, but the island's government reacted with caution.
"It is a recognition of the comprehensive and rigorous measures that have been put in place in Singapore," the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
"Notwithstanding the WHO announcement, there will be no pause in our efforts to maintain and further enhance all our existing measures to isolate and contain the disease and to prevent any export of the disease beyond our shores," it added.
A total of 31 people have died out of 206 SARS cases in Singapore, which has imposed some of the world's most stringent measures to contain the pneumonia-like outbreak in East Asia and Canada.
"The possibility of a future imported case sparking off clusters of SARS cases in Singapore cannot be discounted," the MOH said.
Canada's biggest city Toronto had earlier been taken off the list but was put back on early this week, underscoring the volatility of the situation for all affected countries.
The resurgence of SARS in Toronto showed "the battle is not over for Singapore" said Mr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State for National Development.
"Singapore will continue to receive patients with SARS even if we are clear of it internally. Our borders are open and there will from time to time pop up a patient with SARS," Balakrishnan said.
"Singaporeans will need to exercise responsibility and sensible precautions," he said. The Singapore economy has suffered enormously, with tourist numbers and retail sales slumping and the official economic growth forecast for 2003 slashed sharply to 0.5-2.5 percent.
The WHO announcement came at an opportune time. Singapore's summer school break is about to start and the annual six-week retail festival, the "Great Singapore Sale," was launched yesterday.
Retailers are counting on tourists and local shoppers to go on a huge spending spree and help inject new life into the lethargic economy.
AFP