In late March 2003, SARS broke out in Amoy Gardens. As of April 15, there were 321 SARS cases in Amoy Gardens***. There is a clear concentration of infected cases in Block E, accounting for 41% of the cumulative total. The second highest number of infected cases was recorded in Block C (15%), the third was in Block B (13%) and the fourth was in Block D (13%), while the remaining cases (18%) were scattered in the other 11 blocks. There were 107 residents in Block E of Amoy, most of whom lived in the vertically aligned flats in Blocks 7 and 8.

Faced with the rapid spread of SARS, the Hong Kong government has taken unprecedented emergency action by announcing a 10-day quarantine of Block E of Amoy Gardens. All residents of Amoy Gardens Block E, except those who had stayed temporarily at the homes of friends and relatives beforehand, were forced to move into quarantine at the Lei Yue Mun Resort and the Lady MacLehose Resort.In mid-2003, the Department of Health (DH), in conjunction with eight other government departments, launched an investigation. Following the investigation, the authorities believed that the spread of the disease was mainly related to the design of the housing structures and that the virus could possibly be transmitted through excreta or wastewater. The incident also raised concerns about the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus, although the World Health Organization later dismissed the possibility.

The Amoy Gardens was later fully disinfected and residents returned to their homes.

Since the outbreak in Amoy Gardens was reported by the media in Hong Kong and Guangdong province, some mainland tourists and curious citizens also regarded Amoy Gardens as a tourist attraction after the opening of the Individual Visit Scheme on the mainland and even took photos to commemorate the event. This has caused dissatisfaction among some residents.