I just arrived in Hong Kong and it’s like stepping back in time – to the time of SARS and Bird Flu. Air passengers are once again being greeted by masked security and health officials.
Hong Kong health officials appear to be monitoring arriving passengers, especially those from Japan, for radiation. So far, Hong Kong officials have not detected any abnormal rates of radiation on passengers or planes landing here.
However, Taiwan officials reportedly discovered at least one passenger arriving in Taipei had higher than normal levels of radiation on his clothing and that touched off alarm bells in this former British colony.
Taiwan tourism is bracing for a major hit thanks to the problems in Japan. Over one million Japanese visited Taiwan last year but because of the ongoing troubles caused by the earthquake, tsunami and the ongoing nuclear radiation leaks and the economic fallout that is sure to follow, Taiwanese officials are expecting much fewer Japanese to take holidays there in the next few years.
In China, meanwhile, panic buying has broken out for of all things salt. Rumors that sea salt in Japan, a major supplier for Chinese tables, will be contaminated for many years to come sent Chinese consumers rushing to supermarkets and they quickly cleaned out salt and soya sauce shelves.
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