DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Gov. Linda Lingle and Sun Hung Wong, honorary mayor of Chinatown, raised their cups in a toast yesterday at Legend Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. The governor was trying to dispel fears that customers should be worried about SARS.
Gov. Linda Lingle and her Cabinet lunched on shrimp dumplings and noodles while reporters and television cameras recorded every move of her chopsticks yesterday. Lingle eats in Chinatown
to stop SARS talkBy Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.comIt was part of a public relations effort to dispel false rumors that cases of a mysterious illness that started in China have been found in Chinatown eateries.
Some restaurants have seen a dramatic drop-off in customers since rumors started spreading earlier this month that restaurant workers in Chinatown were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS.
"You are not going to catch SARS from eating in a Chinese restaurant," Lingle said before visiting six restaurants in Chinatown that have been hurt by the rumors.
The state Department of Health says there are no confirmed cases of SARS in Hawaii and none of the five suspected cases involved restaurant workers.
SARS emerged in China in November and has since sickened 3,293 people in 22 countries and killed 161. Its Asian origins has rumors flying about its presence in U.S. Chinatowns and Asian restaurants.
There have been 13 SARS deaths in Canada, but none reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Lingle said she was inspired to visit the restaurants after reading newspaper stories about the rumors and a story about Toronto's mayor visiting Chinatown restaurants after similar rumors hurt businesses there.
"Chinatown is a great place. There's nothing to be fearful of," Lingle said.
"The food was delicious," she added.
"The rumor is even worse than the disease itself," said David Chui, a partner in the Legend Seafood Restaurant. Chui said his lunch business is off 25 percent and dinners are down 50 percent in the last week and a half.
Eva Lau, a manager at the New Empress Restaurant upstairs in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, said the rumors have spread "like a snowball."
The restaurant used to do about 400 lunches a day, but now is down to about 100 lunches since the rumors started spreading. The New Empress has been able to avoid layoffs so far by reducing hours and having some employees take vacation.
Lingle's spokesman Lenny Klompus said the governor picked up the tab for the 11 people at her table, including state epidemiologist Paul Effler and honorary Chinatown mayor Sun Hung Wong.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
State Health Department
Centers for Disease Control
Hong Kong Department of Health
