Ecuador on Wednesday declared a national state of emergency and barred foreigners who have been in Mexico from arriving in the country on commercial flights as a precaution against swine flu, officials have said.

According to a decree signed by President Rafael Correa, the state of emergency will last 60 days starting from Wednesday. The decree also ordered the Internal and External Security Ministry to coordinate with the Committee of Emergency Operations (COE) and the Health Ministry to take necessary measures to contain the spread of the swine flu virus.

Meanwhile, the authorities also suspended charter flights to and from Mexico to prevent the spread of the virus. Aviation officials have notified airlines that passengers who have been in Mexico will not be allowed into Ecuador, although Ecuadoreans will be allowed to return home. Travelers who want to enter the country from Mexico have to be closely monitored for flu symptoms.

Ecuador has not confirmed any swine flu cases. The authorities are carrying out medical checks on travelers arriving from Mexico and the southwest United States and have placed regional hospitals under alert to monitor for symptoms.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2009)