A Defining Moment: How Singapore Beat SARS

From March to May 2003, SARS raged in Singapore. Medical staff risked their lives to try and save patients from this unknown disease. Parliament passed an amendment to the Infectious Diseases Bill. People were jailed for breaking their Home Quarantine Orders. Schools were closed. The Pasir Panjang wholesale vegetable market was closed off. Visitors stopped coming to Singapore. Changi Airport was deserted. Shopping malls and restaurants emptied out. The economy took a terrible hit as many businesses folded. In the meantime, researchers raced against time to find a vaccine.

Yet in this period of darkness, heart-wrenching and inspirational stories of courage and selflessness emerged.

The entire nation faced a crisis together – marking a defining moment in Singapore’s history. What was the Singapore response to this unknown disease? What were some of the tough decisions that ministers, officials and doctors had to make, and how did they make them? How did the government and the people manage to join hands and defeat the enemy?

A Defining Moment is the story of how Singapore struggled and prevailed in the battle against SARS. It tells of the efforts to save lives, jobs and Singapore’s international reputation. Chua Mui Hoong’s account of how Singapore beat SARS is based on exclusive interviews with patients, ministers, nurses, researchers, volunteers and officials from the various agencies who were at the frontline.