How China Deals With Swine Flu

Since I've been helping The New York Times cover the swine flu scare over the past week, a friend in Hong Kong sent me an email describing how China is reacting to its first confirmed case. I spent two months in China in 2003 for USA Today covering SARS -- an actual killer bug that got out of hand solely because the Chinese government spent weeks lying about whether it existed at all -- so it's interesting to see how fast they are to go cuckoo on this one. (And, yes, that photo is of Chinese scientists dealing with swine flu, not SARS.)

Here's the note received yesterday, bold emphasis mine:

"You may have heard that HK identified its first confirmed swine flu case last night, also first confirmed case in Asia, from a tourist visiting from Mexico (flying from Mexico to HK via Shanghai, arriving yesterday in HK, undetected by health measures in both Shanghai and Hong Kong airports). The HK Govt was quick to react and quarantined 354 guests and staff of the hotel where he was staying. Some refused to be quarantined, of course, some ran away and are still missing, some requested to stay off-site, some are already in hospital under treatment, but most are now confined in that hotel for seven days. They're still chasing the passengers who shared his two flights. It's like SARS all over again, but I am more optimistic this time, as HK people are more prepared. So far the fatality rate is also lower than SARS."

Can you imagine? They're quarantining entire hotels, chasing down passengers of flights, force-feeding Tamiflu to people who aren't sick! There are actual SWINE FLU FUGITIVES in Hong Kong! And the citizenry is grateful for these absurd measures! There's no vague relationship there between the reality of the risk and the response of public health officials.

Of course, this has relevance for Las Vegas interests because just imagine if a guest or gambler at Wynn Macau, the Venetian Macau or the MGM Grand Macau comes down with swine flu? That crazy government will shut them down for a week! That, not Vegas, is where MGM Mirage, Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands must be quaking in their boots over this panic.

Wynn v Adelson, Round 888 or So

The other day, Sheldon Adelson-(barely)-controlled Las Vegas Sands bemoaned Beijing's constricting of visas to Macau.

LVS President William Weidner, discussing the construction stoppage that has put 11,000 Macanese workers out of jobs, told the South China Morning Post:

"There have been some changes in the (Chinese) central government's attitude towards Macau. We don't think it's necessarily all that prudent to put more money in [the project] until we see how that attitude works its way out. ... Macau, because of what has happened, has kind of created for itself unfinished or semi-finished projects. I don't think we're alone in not completing developments."

Well, maybe not. But that didn't stop our good pal Steve Wynn, riding out the miserable world economic conditions with amazing resilience all things considered, from referring to the Chinese as having handled "practically everything beautifully" and having been "more than accommodating, more than understanding." He also told the Associated Press:

"The fact that the economy and the development and expansion of Macau occurred at such a rapid rate has created a great deal of stress on the community. The central government and the Macau government putting ... a slowdown in visitation was an attempt to give the community a chance to absorb the stuff that had been built. ... I think the market is wonderful in China. Macau has always been a tourist kind of place and it's broadened ... its appeal. And I think that's going to continue."

So I guess all of Adelson's sucking up to Beijing, insisting the Chinese mainlander's way of life is just peachy and that there's no such thing as gambling addiction in Asia didn't work out so well, eh?