Millions of kids return to Mexico schools

High schools and universities closed by the swine flu epidemic reopened across Mexico on Thursday as teachers and parents carefully checked returning students for flu symptoms.

Mexico had mobilized teachers and parents to disinfect its schools following a two-week closure intended to curb the spread of the virus. Some youths showing flu symptoms were sent home Thursday. Primary schools will reopen next week.

All places of business – including sports arenas, dance halls, movie theaters and restaurants – were allowed to reopen Thursday after a government-ordered shutdown that began last week.

But establishments must follow hygiene rules, including screening for any sick people, and make surgical masks mandatory for employees.

Secretary of Public Education Alonso Lujambio had called on citizens to show “strength of spirit,” trying to assuage worries that it was too early to restart classes after the flu killed 42 people in Mexico and sickened more than 1,100.

Laughing and joking, high school students gathered at the entrance of the National School of Graphic Arts in Mexico City, waiting to fill out forms that asked about their physical conditions.

Of 280 students entering the school in the first 20 minutes, two showed symptoms of swine flu, including coughing and nasal congestion, said assistant principal Ana Maria Calvo Vega. Their parents were notified and they won’t be readmitted without a statement from a doctor saying they don’t have the virus, she said.

“We’ll be observing these kids all day,” Calvo said. “We have to accept that this illness exists and be careful.”