May 6, 2003 – Beijing, China – Motorola Inc, Schaumburg, IL, the world’s second-largest mobile phone maker, has closed its main office in Beijing after a staff member contracted SARS.

About 1,000 employees would work from home until returning to the office next week, said Mary Lamb, spokeswoman for Motorola, one of the biggest foreign investors in China.

“We have asked employees from that entire office to work from home until May 12,” said Hong Kong-based Lamb. The office in Beijing, where SARS has struck harder than anywhere else in the world, was closed on April 29 for cleaning, she added.

“We have identified that there are 27 employees who have had close contact with the affected employee and are advising them to stay home for self-quarantine and observation,” she said.

Lamb said the SARS-afflicted employee fell ill on April 24, and his condition was confirmed on May 1, reported Reuters. His fever, a key symptom of the highly infectious disease, had subsided and he was expected to recover.

About 600 employees in Motorola’s other Beijing sales and business office were unaffected, she said.