The Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Nicolas de Jesus Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez, asked the population to avoid excesses during the Easter Week holidays. Speaking to reporters after leading the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Church of Las Mercedes through several of the Colonial Zone streets to the Cathedral, the Cardinal said that he hoped that there would not be so many accidental deaths over the long weekend. He invited the faithful to attend Holy Week religious ceremonies, reminding the people that every Catholic Church parish celebrates the passion, death and resurrection of the Christ.
At the same time the head of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), Luis Luna Paulino, announced Operation Holy Week, which will provide strict vigilance on the highways starting the 23 of March. Luna Paulino said that his people will be especially vigilant at the roadways leading to and from the beaches, since the statistics show that this is where most fatal accidents occur. Weapons, including knives and firearms will be prohibited at all the beaches and there is a curfew on the sale of alcoholic beverages. Heavy-duty transport will be prohibited on the roadways from Thursday to Monday at 6 a.m.
Civil Defense, the National Police, the Ministry of Public Health, Fire Departments and regional and provincial governments are joining the campaign to make the week a safe one. Some 2,000 volunteers will assist in the efforts to reduce the number of fatalities, and for Easter Sunday about 5,000 volunteers will be assisting the public in order to return home safely.