A PASSENGER, WEARING PROTECTIVE MASK, READS A BOOK AT HONG KONG AIRPORT, 2003-05-02 (photo)

A passenger, wearing a mask for protection against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), reads a book while waiting for his flight at Hong Kong International Airport May 2, 2003. Airlines have slashed capacity and grounded planes as demands for travel evaporated amid the outbreak of the SARS virus, which has been spread around the world by travellers, infecting more than 6,300 people in 30 countries, killing more than 400. Between 40 and 45 percent of daily flights so far this week in Hong Kong, for example, have been cancelled. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV CC/DL