The number of people isolated in Beijing following close contact with confirmed and suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients was 16,436 as of 10:00 a.m. Monday, up 563 from the day before, according to the latest local epidemiological survey.

Also by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, 5,666 persons had been released from quarantine, a rise of 940, said the survey.

The number of sites in Beijing isolated to check the spread of the SARS disease remained at six, with the number of construction sites rising from three to four on Sunday.

The Beijing United anti-SARS work team noted that the new quarantine site is located in Chongwen District, while the other three are in Dongcheng (East), Xuanwu (South) and Xicheng (West) districts.

In a related development, the Xuanwu hospital in southern Xuanwu District has completed preparations for the admission of SARS patients and will begin registration of patients on Tuesday.

The hospital, which began preparing its wards for SARS patients a week ago, is currently manned by over 400 medical personnel along with 600 beds.

The hospital has also dispatched more than 20 experts to south China's Guangdong province to acquaint themselves with the SARS-treatment experience of the province, where the first SARS case was spotted.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2003)