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Steps by China to confine Mexicans to hotels and other sites, irrespective of whether they were showing symptoms of having swine flu or not, has triggered a diplomatic row with Mexico. A Mexican embassy official in Beijing said Chinese authorities were quarantining more than 50 Mexican business people and tourists inside, fearing the spread of the H1N1 flu, even though only one had symptoms of the flu. They are being held in hotels and other sites across China, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Mexican foreign minister Patricia Espinosa has described the steps as "discriminatory", saying: "Mexican citizens showing no signs at all of being ill have been isolated under unacceptable conditions." Beijing says its steps are justified and lawful, adding that extra protections had been needed after a Mexican man confined in Hong Kong was found to have swine flu. More than 250 people at his hotel have been isolated for seven days and around 100 passengers and crew who flew on the same plane are being quarantined in Shanghai and Beijing.
China is among a number of countries, including Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Cuba, that have suspended flights from Mexico. The breakdown in relations comes as Mexico’s flu outbreak appeared to be easing with a fall in serious cases, the government said. World health officials, however, have warned the unpredictable virus could still become a pandemic. On Sunday, Colombia announced that it had confirmed its first case of swine flu in a 42-year-old man who lives near the capital, Bogota. This joins the list of cases creeping up across the globe including in Ireland, South Korea, Italy and Costa Rica.
source:
Asian Travel News and Guides