I had dinner last night at my favourite Chinese restaurant in Toronto's Spadina Chinatown. It was my third meal there in recent weeks. My waiter thanked me for supporting them in these difficult times by saying "your support of us is like giving water to someone in the desert".

I've patronized that restaurant for 20 years. Both the people and the food are great and they are a real part of my life. As member of the community of downtown Toronto residents, I see how people are being adversely affected by the SARS outbreak here for no reason other than ignorance.

Did I mention:
It is time for Torontonians to go about living
their lives as usual in Toronto!

Just make sure that you wash your hands often and immediately telephone 1-866-797-0000 at the first sign of a fever. 

SARS is a real disease and the fact that it is in Toronto is a real embarrassment for all of us living here. Toronto is a really great place to live, work and play. If you come and visit Toronto, you won't get SARS unless you deliberately expose yourself to it.

The Facts:

• Wash your hands often! Didn't your mother tell you to do that? It is just part of proper hygiene. Here is a page that will tell you how to properly wash your hands. If you are interested in more details about proper hand washing techniques, here is a copy in pdf of the very comprehensive Health Canada in depth guide on Hand Washing.
• Here is a good article on Face Masks to prevent SARS spread in certain environments.
• If you have any of the symptoms listed below, stay home and call one of the following numbers: for general information about SARS call InfoLine: 1-888-668-4636 (TTY: 1-800-387-5559). If you have symptoms call TeleHealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007) or Toronto Public Health SARS Hotline at 416-338-7600.
• For more information, go to the Toronto's SARS web page: http://www.toronto.ca/health/sars/ .

What are the symptoms of SARS?

The symptoms of SARS usually begin within ten days after direct contact with a SARS patient. They include a fever of more than 38° Celsius or 100.4° Fahrenheit and/or any of the following: