"Welcome to Singapore! Are you feeling well today?" chimes a chorus of nurses, their faces covered by masks, their eyes by goggles, their bodies by yellow hospital gowns. Passengers coming from other countries with SARS are guided to pass through a high-tech thermal scanner that picks up temperatures over 100. A bevy of masked soldiers in camouflage uniforms are there to escort away those with fever.

Those who pass muster are given a card warning that they might have been exposed to a deadly disease. Those who are feverish are whisked, without apology, into a 10-day quarantine, and Singapore means business. Video cameras will be installed in the home by a security firm, to make sure patients do not stray. Those few who do are tagged with an electronic wristband that records their movements.