Despite COVID-19 control measures, people leave Santo Domingo for holiday

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of vehicles remained for hours inside a blockage on the Duarte Highway, after authorities redoubled security at the Santo Domingo exit for the long weekend.

From approximately 1:30 in the afternoon until close to the time when the curfew begins, 5:00 in the afternoon, vehicles moving along the Duarte Highway had to divert their routes or take hours to advance, because many people take advantage of the holidays to leave the city.

The long line of vehicles could be seen from kilometer nine of the highway to kilometer 25 of the same road that connects the Dominican capital with the Cibao region.

 

A roadblock was formed at the Duarte highway toll by police controls.

 

The Ministry of Defense and agents of the National Police also reinforced the passage of vehicles through the toll of the 6 de Noviembre highway, from where cars can be moved to different regions in the south of the country.

Long weekend
These measures were implemented with the purpose that next Monday 4 will be the Labor Day holiday, despite the fact that it was internationally commemorated yesterday, Friday, May 1.

The government reiterated last Thursday that vehicle movement restrictions were maintained to prevent people from vacationing in different areas of the country.

It was also indicated that the resorts and recreation places were going to remain closed to counteract the increase of the coronavirus COVID-19 in the national territory.

Same as Easter
A similar measure was ordered during last Easter, when brigades from the Ministry of Defense and the National Police placed checkpoints at tolls throughout the country, in order to reduce the passage of vehicles during the religious holiday.

Health authorities, as well as members of the High-Level Commission for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus, have warned the population that the best way to prevent more cases of coronavirus is social distancing, hygiene, and the use of masks in the public spaces.

They maintain a curfew
President Danilo Medina extended the 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew throughout the country until Sunday, May 17, 2020, and all the social distancing measures adopted by the Executive Power, in accordance with decree 154-20.

Medina extended the state of emergency throughout the national territory until the 17th of this month

SITUATION COVID-19
7,288 infected

Up to bulletin 43 of the Ministry of Public Health positive cases of coronavirus in the country were 7,288, with the sum of 316 newly infected. According to Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas, the total number of deaths amounted to 313.

The pandemic

The Covid-19 causing coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China, and then spread worldwide.