A local Vancouver couple planned and paid for a trip to Malaysia - long before the SARS outbreak. They were informed that the government of Malaysia has just banned all non-business travel to Malaysia by Canadians, due to SARS. Now they are out thousands of dollars. There appears to be no recourse, and their ($400) trip cancellation insurance does not cover the cost as the travel advisory was issued outside Canada. This is getting really silly. We may see some air carriers (like Cathay), that service the Asian market, on the verge of going under as this is the last straw in an already weakened industry. Asian markets and malls in Vancouver area are ghost towns. Convention cancellations in Toronto. And this not just localized to Canada and Asia. The outbreak clearly needs to be addressed and controlled, but with some perspective. For example, Influenza kills nearly 1,500 Canadians each year, nearly ten times that in the US, and has a more farreaching global impact. SARS is not the plague, but is the media's flavour of the month to sell soap. Serious yes, but not the downfall of mankind. So support your local Chinatown

----
Cheers,

Dan
Founder and CEO

LionsGate Creative
GoodPassRobot
Magelln