The problem is with China not with Hong Kong.
When SARS hit China around 2002-2003, the gov't first tried to cover it up. There were many reports of people dying and they didn't know why.
I was even in China during that time but there was NO News of it. Then News started to come out and more people start to die. Finally, China admitted and started to give out information but I left China a month before. When it started to spread, measures were started to control it. Like before there WASN'T a check for temperature when crossing the boarder in and out of China to HK. Some people were quarantine for a few days. People started to wear mask.
It's SARS, Bird flu and now Super AIDS.