Over holiday thousands cared little about the rise of the virus

Santo Domingo, DR

Thousands of Dominicans, regardless of the rise in contagion from the Covid-19 in recent weeks, enjoyed yesterday’s holiday in the neighborhoods and beaches for the patrician Juan Pablo’s birth Duarte, in addition to engaging in everyday activities.

The hot sun and the crystalline water of Boca Chica beach were witnesses this Monday of how the citizens went out as a family to take a “dip,” defying the risks and possibilities of contracting the new coronavirus.

Hey, a little fish; “cheap parking” and “I have tables with air.” These were some of the phrases that, added to the songs that were playing simultaneously, welcomed people to the spa.

It was not necessary to go too far to notice the significant number of bathers since the countless beach umbrellas advanced across the panorama that would be observed in the water and sand.

At the edge of the beach was Angy Cabrera, who said that “it was right to leave the house” while quietly watching her son’s every move.

Cabrera pointed out that “this (referring to the pandemic) is not going to happen and they already had a lot of time locked up,” while explaining that she was trying to stay close to her family and away from other people so as not to become infected.

While Jose Miguel Luna, who traveled from San Pedro de Macoris with some cousins and friends, said that “anyone who says he is following some protocol is lying.”

“They tell us Dominicans to get stuck, and we get out,” Luna added.

After a tour of the shore of the well-known resort, a team from Listín Diario was able to see that between the hot sun and the crystalline water of the beach, sanitary and preventive measures were omitted from the youngest to the adults.

Regarding the flow of visitors, the merchants affirmed that sales had increased and that they agreed with the relaxation of the curfew announced by the government’s health cabinet.

“Tamo’ well, things have improved,” said Carmen Chalas, who has been selling fish in the area for nearly 40 years.

On her side, Maxima Sandra expressed that she will be able to work on weekends with the new freedoms since, as she explained, “it was not worth opening.”

Traffic jams

On Monday, a kilometer and a half of the highway reached traffic congestion near the Las Americas highway’s toll booth, on the occasion of the birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte.

After passing through the toll station to Boca Chica beach and other resorts, vehicle traffic remained slow but moving.

In the neighborhoods

The pandemic and the measures adopted by the government to prevent its advance, both restrictive for circulation and crowding, as well as sanitary measures, did not prevent the people of different neighborhoods of the capital from enjoying a holiday yesterday on the occasion of the birth of the patrician Juan Pablo Duarte, nor the massive attendance at markets.

However, the point was that in those social gatherings and commercial activities developed, not all people used masks correctly, or did not have them, as well as the disrespect to social distancing.

During a tour carried out by a Listín Diario team in the Villa Juana, Villa Consuelo, San Carlos, and Ensanche la Fe neighborhoods, it was possible to observe how people enjoyed their day off.

ENVIRONMENT

Daily life.

In San Carlos, people shared on the sidewalks, in some empanadas and food stands, and as the hours went by, the grocery stores were the protagonists. The same situation was reflected in the Ensanche la Fe, except that the latter showed a more reduced flow of inhabitants.

Work.

In Villa Consuelo and Villa Juana, there was a greater flow of people carrying out diverse activities. Some preferred to use the day off for social gatherings, and others maintained their work schedule.