Dominican government decrees a new curfew schedule
The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, signed a new curfew decree to mitigate the COVID-19 spread.
The curfew begins Monday, January 11th and will end on Tuesday 26th, from 5:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday through Friday, regardless of whether it is a business day or not.
During those five days of the week, transit is allowed until 8:00 PM for people to reach their homes, one hour more than allowed in the first 10 days of January 2021.
Meanwhile, on Saturdays 16th and 23rd, as well as Sundays 17th and 24th, the curfew begins at 12:00 noon until 5:00 AM. In this case, transit is permitted until 3:00 in the afternoon, for the same purpose, so that people can reach their homes.
Home delivery of cooked food, raw from restaurants, grocery stores, and pharmacy deliveries are allowed until 11:00 at night.
Public transportation
After criticism for the lack of state public transport and the long waiting lines , the Executive Branch instructed the Metropolitan Bus Services (OMSA) and the Transport Reorganization (Opret) offices to offer the service within the hours of circulation defined in the decree.
Also, as of Monday, open public spaces in the open air such as boardwalks and parks can be used, but only for sports, where there is no crowding of people. In the aforementioned places, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
Gyms, located in private or public places, are kept closed. Similarly, the facilities for public and massive events such as cinemas and theaters are closed.
The tourism sector, the backbone of the Dominican economy, will continue to be governed by its special protocol, but the facilities cannot organize, promote and carry out massive activities, parties, or the like.
Religious activities
The activities of the different churches or religious denominations are maintained in the terms provided in decree 2-21, which indicates that celebrations are allowed three times a week, within the curfew and respecting sanitary measures.
Restaurants, bars, and grocery stores
Through the decree, the Government allows restaurants to receive customers, but they must not exceed 50% of their installed capacity and cannot occupy more than six people per table. Restaurants must comply with distancing measures.
Meanwhile, in those 16 days that are located between 11th and 26th of January, bars, stores that sell alcoholic beverages, and small grocery stores will not be able to receive customers to consume in their facilities.
Public sector
The working hours of the public sector will be until 3:00 PM. Among 40% of the employees are considered non-essential and will work at home.
Surveillance and measures
The mandatory use of masks in public places and private places of public use, as well as physical distancing, is still maintained.
People who can transit during the curfew:
- Those dedicated to health services, such as doctors, nurses, bioanalysts, paramedical personnel, and pharmaceutical personnel.
- People with a medical emergency who need to go to a health center or pharmacy.
Duly identified persons dedicated to private security tasks. - Members of the press and other duly accredited media.
- Vehicle operators and technicians of companies and institutions that provide energy, water, telecommunications, and solid waste collection services duly identified, exclusively during the exercise of their work functions.
- Vehicle operators dedicated to the urban and interurban distribution of goods, supplies, and fuel duly identified exclusively during the exercise of their work functions.
- People who work in the food, medical and pharmaceutical industry, and trade and are in transit to and from their workplaces, provided they carry identification of a company authorized by the High-Level Commission for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus.
- International passengers and operators of private or commercial vehicles that are transporting them, as well as employees of the maritime and air transport sector duly identified in transit to or from ports and airports.
- Employees of companies that provide funeral services, exclusively during the exercise of their work functions.
- Employees or contractors of the hotel, mining, and free zone sectors, exclusively during the exercise of their work functions.
- Employees of Opret and OMSA, after the completion of their work, provided that they are properly identified and go home.