Public libraries and cultural centers would reopen group by group and stage by stage, said Ruan Lanyu, a division chief of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Bureau.

However, opening hours will be shorter than before and sites with poor ventilation will stay closed.

Places to be reopened should keep to the relevant regulations concerning disinfection issued by the Ministry of Health, said Ruan.

Staff should take their temperature daily and no entry would be allowed for anyone registering a temperature higher than 37.5 centigrade Celsius.

People taking training courses or using public cultural centers were required to fill in a health record.

To guard against and prevent the spread of SARS, libraries should disinfect books, journals, magazines and newspapers meticulously. Staff who serve readers were required to wear gloves and face masks.

Seats in reading rooms and training classrooms should be kept at a distance of 80 centimeters from each other.

On June 7, a mass lively cultural activity was held at a cultural square in bustling Xidan area in downtown Beijing, the first public cultural performance of its kind since SARS epidemic hit the city.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2003)