Yesterday I flew from Sanya to Shanghai, and on the flight I was reading the Shanghai Daily. It opened with an article saying that all travelers to Shanghai would have their shoes sterilized and that people would be checked for bringing poultry to the city. I was wondering what procedures would be in place at Hongqiao airport upon arrival. Would the SARS screening stations be in operation again? These were basically computers that measure the body temperature of each passenger and show the result in a color graph on a computer screen. Or would there be mats with liquid on it to clean your shoes (this was actually already in use on the domestic airport in Manila when we were there a month ago – it had a sign that it was to prevent the spreading of bird flu)? Or would your shoes be sprayed when leaving the plane? And would dogs be sniffing the luggage (this was shown on the picture on the front page, a dog walking over the luggage belt checking all the luggage for chicken and birds)?

Well, the answer is simple: none of it happened. There was no change from the regular procedures and nothing hinted at the implementation or future implementation of anti-bird flu measures. Big front page articles in the newspapers to keep the people assured that the authorities are doing everything to keep bird flu out of the city. But it is just words, not reality.