THE Red Sea city of Jeddah is the most relaxed spot in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But its residents are worried by a rise in the number of people diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, known as MERS. Waiters at Nakheel, a popular restaurant, have donned face masks and diners are less ready to share a shisha, the water-pipe popular in the Arab world. Wedding guests are refusing to kiss each other hello, while businessmen say some of their colleagues have started politely refusing to shake hands.

Few cases had been reported since the virus, a less infectious but deadlier version of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was found in Saudi Arabia in September 2012. But Saudi officials announced on April 23rd that 11 new cases had been discovered that day alone, bringing the total to 48 cases in five days, compared with a total of 272 cases diagnosed in the past 18 months. Of those infected, 83 have died, including several foreigners of undisclosed nationalities.

Though MERS first appeared in the oil-rich east of the country, possibly having passed to humans from camels, Jeddah is now the worst-affected place, with 21 recent cases. Earlier this month King Fahd Hospital temporarily closed its accident-and-emergency department after a cluster of people were struck down. Given that Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s business hub and the jump-off point for pilgrims going to Mecca, MERS could hurt the economy if it spreads.

The government says it is being candid and has held press conferences. But many Saudis, used to being kept in the dark, think the risk is more serious than they are being told. The authorities have told the media to report only officially confirmed cases. This has led accusations to swirl on Twitter—as everything does in the kingdom these days—that the true number of cases is higher. Many of those infected in Jeddah have been health workers, suggesting insufficient precautions are being taken in hospitals. Some medics are urging the authorities to declare an emergency.

Instead, on April 21st King Abdullah fired the health minister, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, who had said at a press conference the day before that he had no idea why MERS appeared to be spiking.