The staff at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has been asked to wear masks while dealing with passengers in the arrival lounge.

The order came a day after a suspected SARS case was detected in the city.

Rebecca Raleigh (23), an American photographer, landed in Mumbai on April 3. She was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital on April 7 with high-fever and redness of eyes.

Rebecca had travelled through China, Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia before arriving in Mumbai.

The airport staff has been asked to keep the masks on even when dealing with passengers from countries other than those affected by the atypical pnemonia virus.

"This is just a precautionary measure...not every airport employee knows where all a passenger coming from say New York has been to," said M R Tambre, health officer in charge at the airport.

"This order [to wear masks] has come from New Delhi and we are following it," said Dr Subhash Salunke, Director, Health Services, Maharashtra.

SARS has killed nearly 100 people and infected more than 2000 people worldwide since it surfaced first in China some four months back.

So far, nearly 200 masks have been supplied at the international airport in Mumbai.

A mobile van has been stationed outside the arrival lounge to take SARS patients to Kasturba hospital or V N Desai hospital, two facilities designated to deal with SARS.

The van has been fitted with oxygen cylinders, since people suffering from SARS generally complain of breathlessness. Male nurses in the van have been provided plastic body suits and gloves.

However, they haven't yet seen any action."We all are waiting here for the last three days but so far no one has come. We are wondering how a SARS patient looks like," said Mohan Gawde, a male nurse attached to the mobile van.

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