WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush issued an executive
order Friday adding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
to the list of communicable diseases for which a
person can be quarantined.

The order reads that SARS, a disease first recognized
late last year in China, is "associated with fever and
signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory
illness, is transmitted from person to person
predominantly by the aerosolized or droplet route,
and, if spread in the population, would have severe
public health consequences."

SARS -- characterized by high fever and breathing
difficulties -- has infected more than 2,270 people,
killing 79, according to the World Health
Organization's Web site. It has spread to 16
countries, including the United States. No U.S. deaths
have been reported.

Friday's executive order brings to eight the number of
diseases covered under possible quarantine orders by
the federal government.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said the order should not be taken as any
indication that the government wishes to quarantine
anyone.

Health experts at the CDC still feel that quarantines
are not necessary now, although they could become
necessary if the situation gets worse.

Also on Friday, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York,
urged the CDC to get directly involved in containing
the spread of SARS in the United States.

While commending the CDC's efforts in investigating
SARS worldwide, Schumer said it was time to deploy the
center's epidemiologists and health experts to New
York and others areas in the United States where the
virus has recently spread.

"The CDC is doing great work by sending our experts to
other countries to help with SARS outbreaks there,"
said Schumer.

"But as more and more SARS cases are discovered here
at home, it's time for us in New York to get the same
expert advice to prevent a full-blown outbreak."

Researchers say SARS probably began spreading from
China's Guangdong province -- where there have been at
least 1,000 cases -- to other countries in
mid-February.