Mexico City returns to life after shutdown

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Mexico City returned to its hectic bustle on Thursday after authorities lifted a week-long shutdown to stop the spread of swine flu that has killed 42 people.
High schools and universities, bars, cinemas, night clubs, theatres and sports venues were all to reopen on Thursday after the shutdown estimated to have cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business.
Authorities insist that the A(H1N1) epidemic peaked at the end of April and is now under control though President Felipe Calderon has warned there will be more cases.
Its fantastic to be back. The emergency has faded, all the measures were followed and we prevented the epidemic spreading further, said city resident, Alfredo Robles, as he sat in the sun with workmates.
In outdoor cafes and restaurants, opening to lines of clients impatient to return to everyday habits, the feeling of relief was the same. It is marvellous, said cafe customer Elizabeth Flores.
Under the shutdown, the city looked like a ghost town, Flores said. Now Im really happy.
The world-famous Aztec and Mayan pyramids were also reopened to tourists.
All 175 archaeological sites across the country, including pre-Hispanic pyramids and buildings, were open to the public after an exhaustive cleaning operation, the National Archaeological Institute said in a statement.
The closures had sparked frustration in a country already reeling from the impact of the economic crisis north of the border.
The shutdown and devastation to the tourism industry cost the economy around 2.3 billion dollars, around 0.3 per cent of gross domestic product, according to the finance ministry.
The government is now to launch a fiscal stimulus package that would include a 1.3-billion-dollar injection into the economy.
Strict rules still held in the capitals 35,000 restaurants, including large spaces between tables and compulsory face masks for waiting staff.
The Mexican government has challenged claims that the swine flu virus originated in the country, and pointed at a smaller outbreak that occurred in the United States around the same time.
The Mexican and Chinese governments on Tuesday chartered jets to pick up nationals from each others country. More than 130 Mexicans landed from China in Mexico City on Wednesday. The 98 Chinese were thrown into quarantine on their return.