Change of scene: Nursing Officer Ada Ng finds an airy, pleasant environment at Amoy Gardens after the outbreak.

Nursing Officer Ada Ng says Amoy Gardens has changed since she first visited there during the SARS outbreak. It is so airy and hygienic now.

She was nervous and cautious when she was first sent there to issue an isolation and removal order - tasks that had to be completed under a tight deadline back in April.

At the time, her main concern was whether the residents had come down with the disease.

She now hopes to strengthen the public's commitment to staying healthy, and change their attitude towards public health.

"In the aftermath of the epidemic, everybody is aware of the importance of personal and environmental hygiene," she said.  

Miss Ng recalled the difficulties she encountered when working at Amoy Gardens in early April.

She found her role as a law-enforcement agent was not compatible with her role as a nurse, and had to strike a balance between them. To her, it was a Catch-22 situation. 

"To enforce the law, I had to be rational and decisive. But being a nurse, I had to take care of the physical and psychological well-being of the residents in Amoy Gardens."

While only residents of Block E were their target clients, she said, residents of other blocks also came over to make enquiries and request body checks.

She was duty-bound to stand fast to her post at Block E, but deep down she wanted to offer assistance to the other residents, also.

She did her best to arrange for other colleagues or Government departments on site to help.

All nurses including herself had to wear personal protective equipment throughout the assignment. But it was so hot and stuffy, and made it difficult for them to breathe. 

"I purposely divided the nurses into two-member teams, and reminded them to take care of each other. They should immediately call for help if anything went wrong."

As soon as each team finished working on one floor, Miss Ng would try to arrange for another team to take over. But she did not always have enough manpower to relieve them.

She also could not anticipate residents' reaction to the orders. She did everything in their best interest, telling them all measures were taken for the sake of their personal health. Thanks to their understanding and co-operation, the tasks were completed smoothly.