WITH THE Swine Flu alert being raised from Yellow to Orange in Singapore, I was pleased to see an e-mail from my embassy sitting in my inbox.
The last time I received official e-mails from my consulate it was while I was in Beijing, during the 2003 Sars outbreak.
Yep. This is the second time I’ve been overseas during an epidemic of some sort. And I have to say that I’m glad I’m in Singapore this time.
The Australian High Commission of Singapore has updated its website, I was informed in the e-mail I received this evening. The site now had information on 'Swine Influenza'.
Great, I thought. The 30 minutes or so I'd spent updating my details on their labyrinthian website when I arrived in Singapore was well spent.
The message went on to tell me that there were a bunch of useful links on the website including the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, Singapore Ministry of Health and Smartraveller.
I was then told to "monitor the links as the situation evolves", presumably so I would know when I should stay home and what to tell my relatives.
The slightly stiff, but thorough e-mail reassured me that I was dealing with a consulate that knew what it was doing - that was until I tried to register on the Smart Traveller website as directed.
Unfortunately they'd sent me the wrong link. The message directed me to www.smartraveller.com.au, when I should really be going to www.smartraveller.gov.au.
A bit of googling and the problem was solved, but it ruined the effect of the original e-mail. And what if I hadn’t been web-literate? The wrong address could have caused me no end of worry.
Still, it was much better this time around.
What stands out in my mind about the three months prior to my leaving China was the sheer lack of information from official sources.
The Australian High Commission in Beijing did send out reassuring e-mails that got progressively more restrictive but as Sars was such a surprise, they always seemed to be behind the ball.
My best and most reliable source of information on what was going on in China during the Sars outbreak was someone I knew who worked at the US Embassy.
Through a kind of 'Chinese whispers' of chain texts and phone calls, I was informed that the Chinese government had closed the Beijing domestic airport.
"They're closing the international airport tomorrow. If you want to get out; you need to get out now!" said the message.
There was no real way of confirming this information but many of us, particularly those with children, decided that we’d pack up and leave on the next flight out.
On the way to the airport, wrapped in face masks, wearing surgical gloves (who knows why?) and with the windows wound all the way down so the cold breeze could waft away the germs, I noticed the lack of traffic.
By the time I arrived, with my son in tow, I realised that many people must have thought the international airport had been closed down as well. It was like walking into a ghost-town.
We walked through the entrance, standing on the 'shoeprints' so we could be monitored by the temperature scanner, a little concerned that we might come up too hot, and finally checked-in.
The flight was half-empty, seemingly only Expat women and their kids were heading out. But it was only when we reached our first destination, Japan, that the full drama of the situation hit us.
We were examined carefully and our temperatures double checked before we were allowed to pass through customs.
We were safe; but the real danger we’d been in only hit us then. What if we hadn’t passed their tests?
This time around I'm not planning on flying anywhere. I realised after I'd left China that by getting on a plane with a bunch of people I didn't know, I'd probably put myself and my son in more danger than if we’d simply stayed home.
But the flip side to all this is that I feel more prepared for Swine Flu than others may be. After all, I survived SARS and I’m sure, with the same sensible precautions, I'll survive Swine Flu as well.