2022News

Government relaxes restriction on sale of booze for the holidays

The Dominican Republic is a spirits lover’s paradise. It produces more rum than milk, and its beer is famous worldwide. For most of the year, lax time restrictions govern the sale of alcoholic beverages, but now almost all restrictions are being removed through 8 January to allow for season partying. Until Sunday, 8 January 2023, alcoholic drinks can be sold and served until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays and until 3am from Sunday until Thursday.

Resolution 009-2022 issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Police extends the drinking hours. The ministry is calling for people to exercise moderation during the holidays.

Millions of people in the Dominican Republic are on the move during the Christmas-New Years-Three Kings holiday period that ends on Monday, 9 January 2023. Special preventive cautions need to be taken by those on the road given the lax local controls on drinking and driving.

The season holidays are extra long in the Dominican Republic because Three Kings Day (6 January) is also celebrated, with the holiday moved to Monday, 9 January 2023.

For the season holiday period, the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) is implementing the “Awareness of Life” operation with over 44,000 persons sent to key points on the nation’s highways and byways to assist and guide travelers at 1,200 aid stations nationwide.

For the first phase of the holidays, the Center for Emergency Operations reported 18 deaths in traffic accidents over Christmas Eve. Of these deaths, nine occurred at the points where the authorities had determined the establishment of control points and another nine in different areas, according to the report of the relief agencies.

Likewise, 77 traffic accidents were reported, affecting at least 102 people. Meanwhile, 226 people were affected by alcohol intoxication, including 11 minors between 12 and 17 years of age. In addition, another 49 citizens were intoxicated by food intake.

The National Police reports the good news that over the Christmas Eve holiday there were no violent deaths for crime, fights, drowning, suicide, violence, or femicides. The director of the Police, Major General Eduardo Then attributed this to the stepped up preventive measures enacted by the Police for the Christmas Eve holidays. On Sunday, the Police reported two dead in gang violence in San Cristobal.

Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
National Police
Diario Libre

26 December 2022