A week after the religious pilgrimage through city streets in Puerto Plata, the authorities report that at least 58 persons are infected with the Covid-19 epidemic. The pilgrimage broke all social distancing rules, but was allowed by the military and police authorities and the city government. An estimated 5,000 persons from Puerto Plata congregated on the Malecon to follow cross-bearing pilgrim Migdomio Adames as he walked to a beach to plant a large wooden cross and pray to God for deliverance from the Covid-19 epidemic.
After the surprise event, the government ordered an epidemiological cordoning off of the city and efforts to locate persons who had participated in the event. A new regional police director, Colonel Francisco Pérez Encarnación, was given strict instructions to enforce social distancing protocols in the province.
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Listin Diario
El Nacional
6 May 2020