in today's toronto star
27-Mar-2003, 11:45 AM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: www.mojonation.ca
Posts: 6,036
in today's toronto star
i guess you can't believe everything you get in your email 
http://torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1035779955649
SARS scare empties eatery
Sales down almost 70 per cent at Chinese restaurant
False e-mail links businesses to illness that has killed three
CHRIS SORENSEN
STAFF REPORTER
The long lineups at Scarborough's Ruby Chinese Restaurant have vanished following a nasty e-mail rumour that linked the busy eatery to the city's SARS outbreak.
The e-mail falsely claims the restaurant's head chef fell ill with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome earlier in the week, leaving the 500-seat restaurant with fewer than 50 customers yesterday at noon hour.
"Since Monday, business has been way down," said Ruby's marketing manager, Frankie Lee. "The first day it was about 20 per cent less and today it's down nearly 70 per cent."
Lee estimated the rumour has cost the restaurant at least $5,000 in sales per day but has no idea why or how it started. He has asked police to investigate.
The e-mail also claims that workers at eight other businesses in the area have been linked to the local SARS outbreak, which is believed to have originated in Hong Kong and has already killed three in Toronto. Another 24 people in and around the GTA are believed infected: 14 in Toronto, seven in York, one each in Durham, Peel and Simcoe. There are five suspect cases and 30 people showing symptoms of the disease. Anyone who visited Scarborough Grace hospital since March 16 is being asked to stay at home.
Health officials say there's no evidence to link any of the establishments mentioned in the e-mail to the outbreak.
"There is no SARS case at the Ruby restaurant," Toronto Public Health spokesperson Mary Margaret Crapper said yesterday. "The majority of our cases are health-care workers, not waiters or the girl at the bubble tea shop."
The province declared a public health emergency yesterday and police wearing surgical masks strung yellow tape around Scarborough Grace hospital, which was already closed to new patients and visitors because of the outbreak. Officials said the measure was taken to allow a helicopter, carrying an infection control specialist, to land in the parking lot.
Such scenes are making Scarborough residents nervous and many are now refusing to visit busy public places for fear of catching the disease.
Henry Wong said he and his wife now stay home on weekends to avoid crowds. "There's too many people in the restaurants and Chinese malls," Wong said. "So you will catch the infection."
Similarly, Susan Tran plans to eat at home until health officials are confident the disease has been contained. "I won't eat in restaurants," said Tran, who works in Scarborough's suburban Chinatown in Agincourt. "You don't know who you're sitting beside."
Inside the Golden Dynasty Hair Salon, near Sheppard Ave. E. and Midland Ave., Linda Phuong and two of her hairdressers thumbed through the city's Chinese-language papers, noting pictures of Hong Kong entertainers wearing surgical masks.
All of the stylists' chairs were empty.
"Nobody is making appointments right now," Phuong said. "Usually we are quite busy."
There are, however, a handful of merchants doing a brisk business as fear of the mystery illness mounts.
Peter Ho Yin Wong is a licensed holistic practitioner who specializes in Chinese medicine. He said through an interpreter that he's had to order bulk shipments of ganoderma, a root that's thought to boost the immune system and help ward off infections.
People in the community are worried, he said. They are trying to protect themselves.
http://torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1035779955649
SARS scare empties eatery
Sales down almost 70 per cent at Chinese restaurant
False e-mail links businesses to illness that has killed three
CHRIS SORENSEN
STAFF REPORTER
The long lineups at Scarborough's Ruby Chinese Restaurant have vanished following a nasty e-mail rumour that linked the busy eatery to the city's SARS outbreak.
The e-mail falsely claims the restaurant's head chef fell ill with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome earlier in the week, leaving the 500-seat restaurant with fewer than 50 customers yesterday at noon hour.
"Since Monday, business has been way down," said Ruby's marketing manager, Frankie Lee. "The first day it was about 20 per cent less and today it's down nearly 70 per cent."
Lee estimated the rumour has cost the restaurant at least $5,000 in sales per day but has no idea why or how it started. He has asked police to investigate.
The e-mail also claims that workers at eight other businesses in the area have been linked to the local SARS outbreak, which is believed to have originated in Hong Kong and has already killed three in Toronto. Another 24 people in and around the GTA are believed infected: 14 in Toronto, seven in York, one each in Durham, Peel and Simcoe. There are five suspect cases and 30 people showing symptoms of the disease. Anyone who visited Scarborough Grace hospital since March 16 is being asked to stay at home.
Health officials say there's no evidence to link any of the establishments mentioned in the e-mail to the outbreak.
"There is no SARS case at the Ruby restaurant," Toronto Public Health spokesperson Mary Margaret Crapper said yesterday. "The majority of our cases are health-care workers, not waiters or the girl at the bubble tea shop."
The province declared a public health emergency yesterday and police wearing surgical masks strung yellow tape around Scarborough Grace hospital, which was already closed to new patients and visitors because of the outbreak. Officials said the measure was taken to allow a helicopter, carrying an infection control specialist, to land in the parking lot.
Such scenes are making Scarborough residents nervous and many are now refusing to visit busy public places for fear of catching the disease.
Henry Wong said he and his wife now stay home on weekends to avoid crowds. "There's too many people in the restaurants and Chinese malls," Wong said. "So you will catch the infection."
Similarly, Susan Tran plans to eat at home until health officials are confident the disease has been contained. "I won't eat in restaurants," said Tran, who works in Scarborough's suburban Chinatown in Agincourt. "You don't know who you're sitting beside."
Inside the Golden Dynasty Hair Salon, near Sheppard Ave. E. and Midland Ave., Linda Phuong and two of her hairdressers thumbed through the city's Chinese-language papers, noting pictures of Hong Kong entertainers wearing surgical masks.
All of the stylists' chairs were empty.
"Nobody is making appointments right now," Phuong said. "Usually we are quite busy."
There are, however, a handful of merchants doing a brisk business as fear of the mystery illness mounts.
Peter Ho Yin Wong is a licensed holistic practitioner who specializes in Chinese medicine. He said through an interpreter that he's had to order bulk shipments of ganoderma, a root that's thought to boost the immune system and help ward off infections.
People in the community are worried, he said. They are trying to protect themselves.
27-Mar-2003, 11:56 AM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: 43° 41' N 79° 38' W
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This would seem to be a case of public information management.
Why would they say that and then declare a public healthcare emergency??
Fact is everyone goes everywhere..
So anybody anywhere can get it..
Incubation period is the big question...
Is it accurate???
I have a parent who teaches in the GTA and is currently refusing to attend some school's and hospital's for courses and lectures...
And another relative Working at Mount Siani currently..
Can you refuse work?
Do you get paid from your employer for that ten day quarantine??
Mary Margaret Crapper is just a spokesperson..
Guess what she's full of???
Why would they say that and then declare a public healthcare emergency??
Fact is everyone goes everywhere..
So anybody anywhere can get it..
Incubation period is the big question...
Is it accurate???
I have a parent who teaches in the GTA and is currently refusing to attend some school's and hospital's for courses and lectures...
And another relative Working at Mount Siani currently..
Can you refuse work?
Do you get paid from your employer for that ten day quarantine??
Mary Margaret Crapper is just a spokesperson..
Guess what she's full of???
27-Mar-2003, 12:07 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: on a race track
Posts: 17,846
Hey .. there was a post on this board which named a bunch of places ... ruby was on the list ... I hope it's been taken care of ... you don't want ruby's starting some sort of lawsuit against TCC...
27-Mar-2003, 12:12 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 13,184
yeah, you can't get it from a place.... only from another sick person..... but i can understand why everyone is so hesitant to believe everything they hear that gives some reassurance and so quick to believe what's negative...
27-Mar-2003, 12:39 PM
#9
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,461
LoL... I posted both times that the Ruby was prolly a rumour, along with all the other places... cripes, people get parnoid so damned fast!
Be safe, take precautions, but dont give in to unsubstantiated ICQ messages that go "Oh look, my friend said that xyz has sars"
Be safe, take precautions, but dont give in to unsubstantiated ICQ messages that go "Oh look, my friend said that xyz has sars"
27-Mar-2003, 03:04 PM
#14
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Richmond Hill
Posts: 114
it's sad that ppl dunno HOW effective emails can be. maybe they just sent them just for FUN, but it really did ruin businesses big time! even pacific mall was really quiet because of the stupid rumours..... 
27-Mar-2003, 03:16 PM
#15
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: THE OAK
Posts: 10,423
Originally posted by PiNk
it's sad that ppl dunno HOW effective emails can be. maybe they just sent them just for FUN, but it really did ruin businesses big time! even pacific mall was really quiet because of the stupid rumours.....
it's sad that ppl dunno HOW effective emails can be. maybe they just sent them just for FUN, but it really did ruin businesses big time! even pacific mall was really quiet because of the stupid rumours.....
bad news travels fast ....... the web can kill a company
27-Mar-2003, 05:36 PM
#20
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: scarborough
Posts: 396
ya... taking precautions and keeping yourself safe is #1 , but alot of people take it to seriously...
I even got emails saying that my doctor had sars... we called him and he said he was fine...
stuff sent out on the net isn't 100% true all the time
I even got emails saying that my doctor had sars... we called him and he said he was fine...
stuff sent out on the net isn't 100% true all the time
