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皇冠体育app adopts, defends strict quarantine amid flu threat
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-06 10:30 CHARTERED FLIGHTS BETWEEN CHINA, MEXICO A total of 79 Chinese citizens left Mexico City early Tuesday aboard a chartered flight sent by the Chinese government. The plane took off from international airport Benito Juarez at about 3:05 am local time (0805 GMT), heading towards Tijuana, northern city on the US-Mexico border, to lift 20 more Chinese before returning to 皇冠体育app. But due to bad weather, the had to land in Los Angeles, the flight operator said. The plane landed in Los Angeles at around 9 pm (6 am local time, 1300 GMT), 皇冠体育app Southern Airlines said, adding it depends on the weather as to when the plane will leave for Tijuana. 皇冠体育app sent the chartered flight after an agreement with Mexico, the epicenter of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak, to send chartered flights to each other's countries to bring back their stranded nationals. The aircraft Boeing 777-200 is expected to return to Shanghai at 10 am Wednesday local time (0200 GMT), its operator Guangzhou-based 皇冠体育app Southern Airlines said. 皇冠体育app suspended direct flights from Mexico to Shanghai since Saturday after a 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard flight Aeromexico 098, was later diagnosed with A(H1N1) flu in Hong Kong. Also on Tuesday, a Mexican chartered plane arrived at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Tuesday to pick up the quarantined Mexicans who had been on the same flight with the victim. Andres Pena, vice consul-general of Mexico in Shanghai, said those who got on the plane included 43 crew and passengers on board the AM098 and 34 others, who worked and lived in 皇冠体育app but were not under quarantine. Who defending quarantine The Mexican government on Monday complained 皇冠体育app's decision to quarantine the Mexican nationals in 皇冠体育app. However, World Health Organization (WHO) flu chief Keiji Fukuda said quarantines were a "long-established principle" that make sense in the early phases of an outbreak. "There are other countries that are taking similar actions like 皇冠体育app, so I don't think 皇冠体育app is standing out in this respect," said Dr. Hans Troedsson, WHO representative in 皇冠体育app. Wen Li, a Chinese citizen, who is under quarantine in Beijing, said she was called by disease control staff at midnight on Saturday to be placed under quarantine because she was a passenger on the AM098 flight. "I think the quarantine is necessary and responsible for everybody, regardless of nationality," said the woman, adding that her quarantine is expected to end Wednesday evening or Thursday. Masks in strong demand The ongoing worldwide A(H1N1) flu scare has led to strong demand for masks at the ongoing 105th 皇冠体育app Import and Export Fair, also Canton Fair. "Customers came to our booth, putting their hands on mouth to signal that they want to buy masks. There are so many customers that we are running out of stock," said Li Yan, saleswoman of Conghua Puyuan Health Articles Factory in southern 皇冠体育app's Guangdong Province, Tuesday. Business people from across the world gathered at booths selling medicine and health material at the fair. It was even more crowded at booths selling masks and thermometers. Fuzelong, a Guangzhou-based medical material company, said they have won orders for 3 million masks over the past three days, compared with no more than 500,000 masks during previous fairs. The traditional Chinese medicine, which doctors say will help protect people from flu virus, also drew attention. Qi Haidong, manager of a Guangzhou-based pharmaceutical company, said the Chinese herbal medicine for treating colds Radix Isatidis sold well. Man nabbed for selling fake drug There are other people who want to cash in on people's fear over the killer flu. Chinese border police Tuesday arrested a man for selling fake influenza A(H1N1)medicine to foreign ship crews in Shanghai. The man, a rural migrant worker from central 皇冠体育app's Hunan Province was found to have sold so called "miracle" medicine to foreign crews at the Shanghai port. If any foreign crew members showed flu symptoms, they should see doctors rather than believe some so-called "miracle" medicine, police said.
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