SARS Creates Business Dilemma: Stay In Touch Without Touching; Firms scramble to find tools to help overcome travel, safety concerns.(A)

Byline: DONNA HOWELL

The SARS outbreak has tossed a wrench into daily life in Asia.

Nearly 10,000 people are quarantined in Beijing alone, where theaters and schools have closed. China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets will close for the first 11 days of May to keep the illness from spreading in crowds.

In the face of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a massive effort to cope is arising -- using anything that may help.

Hospitals offer video meetings to families barred from visiting the sick. Doctors stuck under quarantine give video SARS updates to colleagues on the outside.

Companies, too, are reeling from the impact of SARS. Many are cobbling together last-minute high-tech methods of doing business. As travel restrictions abound, there's a lot more at-a-distance collaboration happening.

Necessity has been the mother of invention before in this field, which includes Web, audio and video forms of conferencing. Prior crises spurred use of technology that replaces in-person meetings.