| Interviewee details |
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Interviewee
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Ms Lee Lai Kuen, Shelley
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Job title during SARS
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Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, HK SAR Government
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Appointment held at time of interview
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Retired , Voluntary Community Work
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Language / Dialect
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Cantonese
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Summary of interview
Ms Shelley Lee recalls her work at the Home Affairs Department during SARS, her personal engagement and observations in particular. The function of Home Affairs Department was to be the contact between the Government and the public and engage in community work. During the SARS outbreak, even though information was scarce, Home Affairs Department still issued leaflets in various languages (including those of minority groups in Hong Kong) regarding household sanitation. The department cooperated with various religious groups to jointly hold worship, prayers and thanksgiving, in the endeavor of promoting a ”Hygiene Charter” with Ms Rosanna Wong Yik Ming. Ms Lee relates in detail how she, at short notice, was to execute the Closure Order at Block E in Amoy Gardens, followed by evacuation, and the community work while keeping those residents in quarantine. Besides, Lee speaks of the story on establishing the ‘We Care Education Fund’ dedicated to SARS orphans and some cases that deeply impressed her. She recalls how she passed the message through her brother to medical institutes in Vancouver, Canada in taking precautionary measures early during the SARS outbreak to prevent disease spreading. In the end, she reflects on the staff mentality and attitude that Home Affairs Department should have in times of crisis.
