Approaching Cavenagh Bridge on my way to a dinner in Boat Quay last week, I was mildly surprised to see people ahead of me deliberately giving a wide berth to a family of three with evidently Chinese features and wearing surgical face masks. The trio were taking pictures of themselves against the bridge, with The Fullerton Hotel in the backdrop.

For a moment, my instinct was to do the same and avoid passing too closely. With all the talk of the coronavirus - which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan - spreading from human to human, why take risks?