The first cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) occurred in Guangdong province in southern China in November 2002. Laboratory tests identified that SARS was caused by a new coronavirus . The virus is believed to be a mutation of a virus that once infected bats and civet cats, which are a delicacy in China. Subsequently, the virus developed the ability to pass from animal to human and from human to human through infected droplets (Hui & Zumla, 2019). After the first cases of infection in China, SARS spread throughout the world within a few weeks. About 8,500 people were diagnosed with probable SARS during the outbreak, and more than 900 were confirmed dead. The symptoms of SARS resemble those of many other respiratory infections, making diagnosis difficult. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Canada is one of the countries outside of Asia that had a bad experience with SARS. In 2003, there were approximately 438 people in Canada suspected of having the SARS virus. Around 44 people have died after becoming infected. Most cases of SARS infection have been identified in Toronto and the greater Toronto area (Kain, 2017). Public health workers who care for SARS patients are at very high risk of contracting the disease. These workers, therefore, carried out their tasks under physical and psychological stress. The virus has brought challenges to the public health system in terms of preparedness to deal with an epidemic, information management, infection control and surveillance. The lack of certainty about treatment and diagnosis has also represented a major clinical challenge. The shortcomings of the public health system were highlighted when dealing with SARS. Some of these shortcomings included; lack of capacity to manage large numbers of patients, lack of timely access to tests and laboratory results, uncertainties about data ownership, lack of coordinated business processes in institutions and jurisdiction of emergency and epidemic response, deficiencies in management and in institutional procedures of epidemics, infectious disease surveillance, and infection control, among others (Rajakaruna et al., 2017). In Ontario, the Premier declared SARS a provincial emergency using his powers under the Emergency Management Act. The province has also activated the provincial operations center for emergency response. Hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area and Simcoe County were ordered to activate code orange emergency plans (Deguefe, 2018). The code stipulates that the hospitals involved will suspend non-essential services. It was also necessary for hospitals to limit visitors, implement protective clothing for exposed staff and create an isolation unit for potential SARS patients. The activation of Code Orange in Ontario has sparked mixed reactions from area residents. Several people stated that there were many cases of canceled services and that there was collateral damage caused by the suspension of health services (Leigh, Moon, Garcia & Fitzgerald, 2018). Many people in Ontario have been affected by canceled surgeries and delayed appointments. Triggering code orange demonstrated a lack of understanding of the system. In conclusion, the public health sector must implement the monitoring and evaluation guidelines provided by WHO to adequately respond to infectious diseases. Ministerial leadership is essential in the creation of).