As members will recall, Phase I -- which required lifting of travel advisories for the HKSAR and at least stability in the situation in China and elsewhere in Asia -- was focused in the near-term on restoring confidence here at home and among our friends abroad.

Working hand-in-hand with Operation Unite and other community groups, Phase I saw a series of social and business-oriented events aimed at reminding ourselves and the world of the myriad benefits Hong Kong has to offer. At home, the "Business After SARS" conference and gala charity dinner at Chek Lap Kok kicked off the return to business as usual. Internationally, we have been keeping in touch with business partners, chambers and opinion makers in the media to put across the message that Hong Kong is committed to being a safe environment for residents and visitors alike.

As we move into Phase II, our objectives shift from initiation to sustainability. Now is the time to build momentum, demonstrate our commitment to world-class hygiene throughout the city and lay the foundations for transforming Hong Kong over the longer term. Less than three weeks after the World Health Organisation revised its "travel alert" to a "travel advisory," the WHO has completely removed Hong Kong from the list of SARS affected places. Clearly, it is time to move on.

The publicity campaign should be well underway as you read this letter, telling the world that Hong Kong is safe to visit, and that visitors from Hong Kong should not be discriminated against when travelling abroad. The unjustified blanket ban at the height of concern about SARS among a few sports organisers, universities, trade fairs and conference organisers was damaging to our society and to our economy although through a lot of effort several of those decisions were reversed. That should now be behind us.

Now we need to go on the offensive, challenging any organisation that would still bar the door to our people in their travels abroad. Certainly, prudent health checks should remain in place, and we all have a responsibility to ensure that we are not endangering others. But, our people are no more a danger than any one else, and deserve to be treated as such.

Prejudices die hard, and so we need openly to demonstrate that we have taken the steps necessary to control this disease, and more. We need to show the world the new, cleaner face of Hong Kong, one that has no tolerance for poor hygiene. This means a sustained program to monitor and fix damaged plumbing, and continued stringent cleaning in our homes and workplaces. Each district should take responsibility for its own public places and every building a regular "health check." Government should ensure it has the right incentives and penalties in place to ensure this program retains its momentum.

To rebuild confidence among visitors and overseas associates, we will need to carry through with a sustained publicity campaign. The initial effort, after the lifting of the travel advisories, supplemented news reports about the ever-improving situation here and in other parts of the region. The next phase needs to be carefully targeted, aiming both at those who need to come here for business reasons and those likely to visit for pleasure. We will need different strategies for our key markets of the Mainland, Taiwan and the rest of the world.

There will be an unavoidable delay in getting our tourism sector back up to full speed as those with other options remain sceptical. It will take time to woo back the family tourists, and so we should be careful not to expend all our resources too early.

Part of the longer-term plan to confirm Hong Kong as one of the safest, cleanest cities in Asia is the creation of a series of pro-active and responsive policies that will preserve our hard-won gains. Certainly the formation of a crisis management mechanism is long over-due. The nature of emergencies is such that pulling together people and resources at the last minute is less than ideal.

We also need an enhanced long-term public health strategy, one that provides a multi-faceted approach to heading off the next, unpredicted danger. In this endeavour, we need the very best expertise available, from around the world. The announcement in May of an experts committee to advise government on managing and containing infectious diseases is a step in the right direction. Co-operation between our own researchers and those in the U.S. and other parts of China is already underway. The momentum must continue, and drafting a long-term strategy will ensure that we get the results we need.

Part of the strategy should be establishing the terms of reference for a new research centre for infectious diseases, one that will draw on resources where ever they may be, and attract the talented professionals who can make it work. We are all aware of the need to contain government spending, but this ranks high on our list of priorities.