Beijing's prison authorities Monday announced the lifting of an order that had put all prisons in the city under isolation since Apr. 24 to curb the spread of SARS.
The lifting of the order was made in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Justice, the authorities said.
Zhu Jianhua, director of the Beijing Jail Administration Bureau,said there were no reports of SARS cases in the city's prisons during the 67 days of isolation.
The order of isolation was the country's first ever such order imposed on prisons since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, according to Zhu.
During the period of isolation, relatives of inmates were barred from visiting, and prison staff were not allowed to go home.
Routine visits by relatives of inmates would resume soon, Zhu said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2003)
