Swine flu paradox: Czech airports screen Americans

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So far no case of swine flu has been confirmed in the Czech Republic. The three suspicious cases turned negative. All of them have recently returned from Mexico, as did the remaining EU cases in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

It is a sad paradox, really. During the times of unilateral USA-Czech visa regime many politicians, tourists and journalists (including myself) used to mention the fact that the system had been humiliating (“we have to, they don’t“).

And now every American who arrives in the Czech Republic is screened. “Luckily” we do not have regular Mexico-Prague flights, so passengers traveling from Mexico have to change flights in Madrid where some precautions have been in place as well…

In the meantime, Czechs have been buying out Tamiflu. However the authorities warned that taking the pills as precaution has no effects and the body may become resistant to it if the “patients” actually become sick…