Dominicans are gregarious. It is second nature. This can include daily kaffeeklatsches, evening domino session and parties galore. Of course, beverages and food are involved, but the coming together of several persons is a given in any Dominican social setting. However, since mid-March, the Dominican Republic has been a semi-lockdown state, with curfews in place all week long and little legal ways of getting together in the evening.
After seven months of these restrictions, probably the majority of the population under 60 years of age are fed up and anxious to go out and meet people. As a result, there are now incidents every day where the military and police authorities are breaking down doors and arresting people for violations of the social distancing mandates, the obligatory use of face coverings, and the curfew’s obeyance. Just this past week, members of a popular band were hauled into the police station in Santiago for multiple violations at a clandestine, after-hours party.
A day or so before that, a group was arrested and fined as they used the premises of an evangelical church to party. Over 50 persons were taken to court for curfew violation charges.
To make matters worse, many of the biggest names in pop Dominican music are contracted to entertain at these events. Despite the multiple and widespread get-togethers, the infection rate in the Dominican Republic has kept steady, between 300 and 800 cases a day being reported. Public health continue to educate; police and military efforts continue to supervise. Yet it is becoming more difficult to curtail social traditions, and this can be observed in Europe as well as here.
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Listin Diario
1 November 2020