The annual nationwide prevention program, coordinated by the Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (COE), will begin this Monday, 14 April, and end on the evening of Sunday, 20 April. The plan is to minimize the number of accidents and fatalities during the prime vacation week for Dominicans, known as Semana Santa. Emphasis will be placed on reducing the number of drownings, extreme sun exposure and road accidents. The COE closes around 100 vacation spots nationwide that are not prepared to handle crowds, however none of these are sites that regularly receive foreign tourists. The week reaches its peak from Wednesday to Sunday. Those who can avoid traveling on the late afternoon/evenings of Thursday or Sunday should do so.
Volunteer corps of 3,353 volunteers and 58 ambulances will take to the roads, with the support of 23 national institutions, including the Red Cross, Civil Defense, the Ministry of Public Health, the National Police, the Armed Forces, and the Metropolitan Transport Authority, among others.