Economic activities restart in Mexico

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-06-2009 09:04

The 5-day nationwide shut-down of economic activities and schools is set to end Wednesday. Life will soon be back to normal in the country hardest hit by the outbreak of the A/H1N1 flu.

Government workers clean buildings to combat Influenza A  H1N1 in downtown Mexico city May 5, 2009. The flu  outbreak in Mexico could knock as much as half a  percentage point off the country's economic growth this  year, the government said on Tuesday, as it promised tax  relief and emergency financing to affected companies. REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar

Authorities are still on high alert to keep the epidemic under control. And the urgent task is to inject new impetus into the economy which has been affected by the shut-down.

A sense of relief is in the air. And vitality is returning to the streets of Mexico City. After days of non-activity throughout the country, everyone seems to be looking forward to the prospect of normalcy.

Luis Fernandez, Mexico city resident, said, "I'm happy the government has decided to allow businesses to reopen, as well as entertainment centers. And I'm especially happy that concert halls and stadiums which have had losses will now reopen....Some people earn a living from them."

But normal life is unlikely to resume without sound preventive measures in place. A thorough clean-up program is already in motion at schools in Mexico City. The city government says every single desk, black board, banister, staircase is to be scrubbed clean with water and chloride before the children can return to schools.