BEIJING students have arrived to study and live alongside British undergraduates despite staff protests they pose an unnecessary risk of exposure to SARS.

On arrival at Canterbury Christ Church University College the 33 students from mainland China and Taiwan were given questionnaires to establish whether they had been in contact with any probable SARS cases, the first time the college had access to that information.

Some members of the group are housed at each of the college's halls of residences around the city and others are placed with host families.

SARS--severe acute respiratory syndrome--is a new respiratory illness which emerged in southern China five months ago and has since killed at least 318 and infected over 5,000 around the world.

The party of students arrived in Canterbury after a weekend in which the Chinese government took decisive steps in Beijing, where 68 people have died, to quarantine 8,000 people and close all public entertainment venues.

Meanwhile Taiwan, which suffered its first SARS death on Sunday, closed its borders to travellers from infected countries.

But in Canterbury the students were welcomed to the college despite opposition by some staff, who say it was irresponsible not to defer the arrival of the party until SARS is contained.

A member of staff, who did not wish to be named, said: "They have come from dangerous areas such as Beijing.

"It is irresponsible until the dangers are known. There is a general feeling of unhappiness about it among staff.

"Members of staff will be required to be involved with them and students will be living with them. It would have been a lot more sensible to defer their arrival for a month or two until things are clearer."

But the college insists it is abiding by the guidelines from health chiefs, which is merely to monitor students coming in from affected areas for ten days for symptoms.

Director of student support Geoff Haworth said: "The students are all symptom-free and had been through rigorous screening at the airport.

"The decision is not at all irresponsible. We are aware staff have some concerns and rightly so, but we are seeking to allay these.

"Based on advice from the Public Health Laboratory Service and our own occupational health doctors we have established a procedure which requires the students to provide health screening information when they enrol."

Kent University is also observing for 10 days students and staff returning after the Easter break from countries hit by SARS.

There is still no diagnostic test for the illness, which has an incubation period of up to 10 days before symptoms show.

The World Health Authority is warning against travel to affected countries to prevent further spread of the disease.