Mexican authorities on Wednesday re-opened Aztec and Mayan ruins to tourists after closing them for a week to contain a swine flu epidemic that they said was now under control.

All 175 archeological sites across the country, including those pre-Hispanic pyramids and buildings, were open to the public "after an exhaustive cleaning operation," the National Archeological Institute said in a statement.

It added that its personnel at the sites had been instructed to wear masks and gloves and to ensure that crowds of people did not gather, in an effort to prevent flu contagion.

The institute also asked visitors to wear masks and use antibacterial gel on their hands.

The re-opening was part of a gradual lifting of a shutdown of activities across Mexico considered at-risk because of the swine flu virus that by Wednesday had killed 42 people and infected more than 1000.

AFP

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