TORONTO - Every cough attracted a sideways glance, and no one wanted to shake a stranger's hand. At the Chinatown Centre mall, some customers wore surgical masks. Others used tissues to open doors. Large bottles of hand sanitizer sat within cashiers' reach.
Business at the mall has been bad for weeks, ever since Toronto became one of the world's hot spots for SARS.
But last week the World Health Organization put Toronto on its list of places that travelers should avoid because of the disease.
Now, business is horrible.
"It's really bad, like a ghost town," said Ken Chan, who has sold DVDs and CDs at the mall for five years. "I've dropped my prices. It's a big SARS sale."
City authorities insist Toronto is safe, but that is not convincing the rest of the nation or people in the United States. Planes are mostly empty. In Catholic churches, confessions have been moved out of the booths. Masks are often worn.
Nineteen people have died here of severe acute respiratory syndrome since an elderly woman returned in February from a visit to Hong Kong, where she apparently picked up the disease. Three SARS sufferers died Friday.
Most of the city's 257 probable and suspected SARS cases are health-care workers and people who came in contact with the first patient.
Far more people are infected in Hong Kong and China, the places with most of the world's total of about 4,600 cases and about 275 deaths.
Since SARS appeared in Toronto, officials have quarantined more than 10,000 people who have been exposed to it and issued numerous health advisories. They've held daily news conferences and vociferously denied that Toronto, known for its cleanliness, is dangerous.
Still, SARS has spread, although the last case found outside a hospital was three weeks ago. Health workers have contracted the disease despite wearing protective gear. Four people in the same condominium building are suspected of having SARS, despite having no known contact with people with the disease.
Because of SARS, many hotels are nearly empty. School groups in the United States switched their annual trip destination from Toronto. Cruise lines have banned Toronto residents from ships. Three medical associations and one real estate group have canceled planned conferences here.
Even Major League Baseball players have been advised to take precautions, such as avoiding signing autographs and using public transportation.
In an emotional press conference Wednesday, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman said he had never been so angry in his life as at the WHO travel advisory, which made Toronto the only city outside of China so designated.
City officials point to a much milder travel alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which says travelers should avoid affected hospitals and carry their own first-aid kits.
"It's important that we get the facts out," said Denzil Minnan-Wong, chairman of economic development and tourism in Toronto. "The facts reflect that it is safe to travel to Toronto."
On an early flight Friday to Toronto from Chicago, most of the 28 passengers were Toronto residents. One, a travel consultant, said the WHO advisory was ludicrous.
But a software salesman said he felt it was a good precaution - when his neighbor flew to Hong Kong two weeks ago for a visit, he became upset with her.
A shoe salesman said he would not eat in any Chinese restaurant near Toronto.
In the Toronto airport after the flight, a husband and wife from Chicago stopped near the first bathrooms. The man walked inside to wash his hands and put on a mask. The woman reached inside her bag for her hand sanitizer.
Neither wanted to be identified. "I'd be embarrassed, thanks," the man in the mask said with a wave.
In Toronto and its suburbs, SARS has hit the Chinese areas harder than other neighborhoods. Many Chinese customers are staying home, and tourists are staying away.
In the downtown Chinatown on Friday, pharmacist Stephen Lee and his colleagues wore masks and gloves. Lee said he wants to give customers confidence that he is no danger to them. "It's like, `I am a safe person to stand close to and help you,' " Lee said. "I'm a very clean person."
Store workers said business could not get much slower. Chan, who works at the mall, used to sell three karaoke DVDs for $45 but has dropped that price to $20.
John Chan, who runs a tourist stand, started selling surgical masks for $3.
At the Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant, known for its dim sum specials, only 20 people ate lunch Friday. In normal times, the 200 seats are full. A supervisor pointed to a recently framed picture of the city's mayor, who ate there earlier in the week to show support.
But life has not stopped because of SARS. Elsewhere in the city, college students walked maskless to class. Filming continued on the movies "Dawn of the Dead" and "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen." Kids slid down the indoor water slide at the Delta Chelsea Hotel.
"Life is normal," said Case Ootes, deputy mayor of Toronto. "We just don't have the tourists here."
Life has gotten more careful. People talked about washing their hands more often and staying home from work if they're sick.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto issued rules on April 15, right before Holy Week, to help protect churchgoers from SARS.
Until public health officials give the OK, Communion will be altered. Wine will not be given from a cup, and wafers will be placed in a person's hand instead of the mouth. The salutation of peace will be done by bowing, not shaking hands.
On Good Friday, people were not supposed to kiss the crucifix.
And some churches have stopped using holy water.
"The holy water's gone, yo," said George Bottka, a homeless man who came to St. Michael's on Friday to bless himself.
"I wanted to do that cross thing."
©2003, Chicago Tribune.
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