Chinese authorities quarantined 43 Mexican citizens, just because they were Mexican – none of them had swine flu (H1N1). The discriminatory move by Chinese authorities has triggered outrage here in Mexico. While around the world the incident has caused debate on how far governments should go to control the swine flu spread – in Mexico it is seen as a clear case of discrimination due to just nationality.

The Aeromexico plane, chartered by the Mexican government, is flying its citizens back home.

China has been trying to warm relations with Latin America. This diplomatic row will certainly strain things in the short term – however, the business community in Mexico doubts that the damage will last.

The current swine flu outbreak started in Mexico City; currently termed the ´epicenter´. So far, about 1,200 confirmed human infections have been reported in 21 countries, with an estimated 28 deaths – one in the USA and about 27 in Mexico.

Four US citizens were quarantined in China, but have been released, according to the US Embassy in China. Another 25 Canadian citizens were quarantined in China, and had shown no flu symptoms.

Mexican authorities say the spread of swine flu has significantly slowed down nationally. President Calderon and his administration have been praised internationally for the swift and severe measures taken to stem the spread of infection. For the last week all places where large numbers of people might gather have been closed, such as schools, universities, cinemas, theatres, sports stadia, and restaurants and night clubs. Several large retail chains, such as Liverpool, Marti, and Palacio de Hierro have voluntarily heeded the President´s call and stayed closed for the last four days.

The economic consequences of these measures have been felt by the majority of the people throughout Mexico. Retails sales in Mexico City alone are estimated to have dropped by over 60% over the last week. The cancellations of hundreds of flights from Europe and North America into Mexico have left dozens of vacation resorts, such as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos virtually stripped of foreign tourists. There is serious concern in Cancun, whose economy is virtually completely reliant on tourism.

Despite the hardship these measures have caused, the vast majority of the population approves President Calderon´s handling of the outbreak so far.

Written by Christian Nordqvist, Cancun, Mexico