Closed museums, flu fears confuse Mexico tourists

Confused foreign tourists wandered the streets of the sprawling capital, as its famous museums closed and most Mexicans worried about a deadly new strain of swine flu.

Many Mexicans donned surgical face masks and tried to avoid usual physical greetings, while tourists walked away disappointed from many attractions on discovering that they were closed.

The World Health Organization branded the outbreak of a new strain of swine flu "a public health emergency of international concern," after as many as 68 people died in Mexico, and at least eight cases were reported in the United States. WHO chief Margaret Chan warned that the virus had "pandemic potential".

Mexico's tourist officials waited nervously to see the spread of the outbreak and its impact on an industry already suffering from media reports of gruesome drug violence, mainly in northern border areas, with more than 7,000 killed in drug attacks since the start of last year.

Get the full story at: WorldTourismNews