The Institute of Virology under the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control has been isolated and all staff in contact with the affected areas have been quarantined.

The information was released by Liang Wannian, deputy director of the Beijing municipal health bureau on Monday.

The quarantined staff will be discharged from medical observation if they show no SARS symptoms within the coming 14 days, Liang said.

Since April 22, China has reported two diagnosed and six suspected SARS cases in Beijing and east China's Anhui province.

Since the Anhui diagnosed SARS patient and one Beijing suspected SARS patient used to work at the same laboratory in the Institute of Virology, experts held that the epidemic might have been caused by laboratory infection.

(Xinhua News Agency  April 27, 2004)