MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina lifts ban on direct flights from Mexico

The Argentine government announced on Thursday it would lift a ban on direct flights from Mexico imposed over two weeks ago due to an outbreak of the new H1N1 flu in that country.

Cabinet Chief Sergio Massa said flights will resume after midnight Thursday. The ban which had been effective since the end of April directly affected Mexican airlines Aeromexico.

“The reduction of cases in Mexico merited that we make this decision today to reopen air links” Massa told a televised news conference. He was standing next to Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana and Health minister Graciela Ocaña.

The announcement followed a meeting of the so called sanitary emergency committee created to monitor the development and evolution of the H1N1 flu strain.

“We are sure to have acted in the best possible way in defence of the health of Argentine citizens. This way we limited and delayed the arrival of the virus giving us time to better prepare for the situation”, said Taiana.

The ban imposed April 29th was severely criticized by Mexican president Felipe Calderón who described it as “discriminatory”.

Peru's government lifted its own ban on flights to and from Mexico on Wednesday.

Argentina's health ministry has confirmed one case of the new flu strain. Massa said airport officials will continue monitoring passengers arriving from Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The virus has caused around 6,500 infections in 33 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO reported that 65 people have died from infection with the H1N1 virus, 60 of them in Mexico. Three people have died in the United States, one in Canada and another in Costa Rica.