It's no big deal for Minnesota tourists back from Mexico

Michelle and Charles Haupert of Plymouth had only one thing on their minds during their week in Mexico: their wedding.

In fact, it wasn't until Monday morning that they even heard news of a potential global flu epidemic emerging from Mexico.

"I have no idea what swine flu is," said Charles Haupert as he and his new wife returned Monday night to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. "I know I didn't eat any bacon, and I wasn't sick today."

Indeed, travelers returning to the Twin Cities from Cancun, hundreds of miles from Mexico City, said the flu was less of a health issue for them than sunburn.

Some said that because they were on vacation, they paid less attention than usual to the news.

Stacey Gruett of Plymouth, who had been in Cancun for a week with her husband and two kids, didn't even hear about it until her boss, trying to prep her for her return to work, called her Monday morning and asked if everyone was OK.

"I freaked out when I heard people coughing on the plane," she said with a laugh.

But they weren't about to leave and made sure they followed the usual precautions for travelers in Mexican resorts, such as staying close to their hotel.

"We washed our hands a lot. That's about all you can do," Brinkmoeller said.

On Monday, customs agents at the airport handed travelers health advisories outlining the risks and symptoms of the spreading flu. Several travelers said the only masks they had seen in Mexico were on two workers at the airport.

"It seems like a bigger deal here than it was there," said Don Lagieski of Long Lake, Minn.