I can't watch TV without being bombarded by sensationalistic reports. If my neighbor coughs, I wonder if he's infected, along with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. Taking a taxi is a hazard. Heck, just breathing seems a hazard.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believes the number of Taiwanese exposed to SARS is extremely large. In short, things will get worse than the 52 deaths, 383 probable cases and 492 suspected cases (these numbers roughly doubled in one week).

It's easy to see how SARS is spreading here. Some of the processes put in place are ridiculously ineffective, and more than a few people have been lax about quarantine.

Recently, I interviewed an executive at a small chip firm. I couldn't go to his top-floor office, because the company feared that SARS would spread to its inner domain. Yet, we could sit in a downstairs office, shake hands, talk without wearing masks, and he could return to his office afterward. That sort of loophole nixes any quarantine.

When the disease first blossomed in Taiwan about a month ago, a nurse defied quarantine by hopping a bus from Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. Apparently, she had never heard the medical tenet "First, do no harm."

I wish I could say this was the only dingbat maneuver of which I've heard, but, unfortunately, there have been other displays of astounding selfishness-matched only by the selflessness of medical professionals fighting SARS.

I wish the government would take the more draconian measures of Singapore or China, where thousands of people are quarantined at the drop of a hat. Only now is Taiwan seriously considering a widespread shutdown of government-run public places, such as the stock exchange and schools, for 10 days.

Some people here have described government officials as "Keystone Cops," saying the officials have put little thought into their policies to contain SARS.

While that's likely untrue, what does ring true is that everyone remains uncertain, uneasy. And because it looks like SARS is here to stay, we will all be uncomfortable for some time. Still, every day doctors are learning more, meaning we are one day closer to turning the corner. When that day comes, we'll all breathe a little easier.

Taiwan bureau chief Mike Clendenin can be reached at mclenden@cmp.com.