A Sars quarantine order affecting around 700 people in two local hospitals is to be allowed to lapse after no evidence of an outbreak was found, the health ministry said today.

The 10-day order will expire today as scheduled, the ministry's deputy director-general Dr Mohd Ismail Merican told a news conference.

"Today (Tuesday) is the last day of quarantine for Sentosa Mental hospital and Sarawak Hospital," he said.

  1. Ismail said the situation in Sarawak was "under control" and added there had been no new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) cases in Malaysia in the past 24 hours.

"We have had no new cases reported. Everybody is well," he said.

Death of two inmates

The entire Sentosa mental institution in Kuching was quarantined last Sunday following the death of a female inmate from pneumonia.

Soon after, authorities reported the death of a male inmate after displaying Sars-like symptoms at the Sarawak hospital.

While the deaths were not initially considered Sars-related, health authorities decided to investigate after discovering o­ne of the patients had received visitors from Hong Kong in early April.

Malaysia has recorded seven probable Sars cases including two deaths, but the government says there has been no evidence of local transmission yet. -- AFP