Posted on 03/16/2020 1:51:53 PM PDT by cll
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Sirens blared across Puerto Rico’s busiest beaches on Monday as police cleared hundreds of tourists from the U.S. territory’s coast in a crackdown on people violating a newly imposed curfew aimed at curbing the new coronavirus.
Using loudspeakers, police in patrol cars ordered people off the beach: “Please stay at home. Governor’s executive orders. The beach is closed.”
The sweep surprised many tourists in the capital of San Juan, some of whom disregarded orders to stay inside their hotels on a sunny day.
“Why would I get sick at the beach? I’m not going to be touching anything,” said 46-year-old David Zimmer of Richmond, Minnesota, as he joined a group of family and friends flip-flopping their way to a beach that police had driven through just an hour ago to empty it out.
Other tourists heeded the warnings and shuffled back to their hotels, many carrying take-out meals before locking themselves in.
Puerto Rico Secretary of State Elmer Román said at a press conference on Monday that no one is allowed to go to the beach, clarifying an executive order issued Sunday that has confused many.
“Unfortunately, tourists have to stay in their rooms,” he said.
Román earlier told local residents, “You will stay in your house unless you are going to buy food or medicine,” he said. “People have to understand this is something serious.”
Puerto Rico had recorded only five confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, and no deaths.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
I wonder if the curfew applies to the roaches.
Courtesy ping.
Velkommen to ‘CoVID’ Beach. Now go home. Isolate.
They’re clearing the beaches?
It comes from the sea!
I thought we gave them back to mexico
Remind me again why PR is a US protectorate, or whatever.
Wiki:
Tar-Baby
The Tar-Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br’er Fox to entrap Br’er Rabbit. The more that Br’er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. In modern usage, tar baby refers to a problematic situation that is only aggravated by additional involvement with it.
Good analogy. I remember, as a kid, reading about Fox, Rabbit and Tar-Baby.
At least they have plenty of bottled water and TP.
Just have to find the warehouse where they are hidden.
“Remind me again why PR is a US protectorate, or whatever.”
Because in the 1890s a lot of dumb people were really bored and really thought we “needed” the place.
THAT long ago? Yikes.
If I remember correctly, we got PR because we fought a war with Spain over Cuba and their presence in our hemisphere. Remember the Monroe Doctrine about foreign powers in our sphere of influence? Remember the Soviet Union in Cuba, and the Missile Crisis? Also the Russians now appear to be helping the dictatorship in Venezuela. If we didn’t have PR, the Russians would probably be in there with both feet.
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