OVERHYPED?

Mexico Starts to Breathe Easy

Easing restrictions as H1N1 flu outbreak slows.

Start stowing away your masks for the next outbreak. If all goes according to plan, Mexico City will begin to return to normalcy this week, as restaurants, libraries, and churches reopen—though nightclubs and schools will remain closed—following the H1N1 outbreak. Mexican and U.S. medical officials have said they see signs that the outbreak is slowing but continue to admonish the public to remain vigilant. One Mexican official warned that the virus could regain strength at any moment. The director of the Centers for Disease Control also said this morning that he expects to see cases of the H1N1 flu virus in all 50 states soon. Though the virus has turned up across the globe, it appears that substantial outbreaks have occurred only in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.