EMPTY STREET DURING LUNCHTIME AT SHOPPING DISTRICT IN HONG KONG, 2003-04-04 (photo)

Passersby, wearing masks to protect themselves against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), walk on a street during lunchtime hours at Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district April 4, 2003, where it is normally crowded with shoppers and tourists. The normally bustling territory, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, seems more like a ghost town these days as residents avoid crowds for fear of catching the virus. The epidemic is a big blow to Hong Kong, which is still struggling to revive an economy battered by years of slowdown. REUTERS/Kin Cheung KC/DL