Puerto Rico cracks down on tourists behaving badly as travelers return to island
The Puerto Rico Department of Justice has filed felony charges against three tourists, including a woman from Florida, for allegedly not keeping quarantine after swearing they would on a travel declaration form as the island grapples with a wave of tourists behaving badly as visitors begin to return.
It is the first time charges for so-called “ideological falsehoods” have been filed in Puerto Rico for tourists who do not comply with self-isolation, said Jesús Hernández, director of the Office of Investigations at the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Anyone who fills out the Puerto Rico Department of Health travel form and is caught breaking a 14-day quarantine, mandated for individuals who do not offer evidence of a negative COVID-19 test at arrival, can be charged.
If convicted, the crime carries a fixed penalty of three years in jail.
“For our epidemiological system, it is very important to know where that person is,” he said. “Tourists should be extremely clear that the document they are filling out is a document that could result in us having to file criminal charges for lying and not offering correct information.”
The tourists were identified in a Puerto Rico Department of Justice press release as Soneris Serrano Moya of Florida, Talita Saraí Carrillo of Chicago, and Mohamed Hamzan Hizam of New York. In addition to the felony charge, the visitors face two misdemeanors for violating curfew and not wearing a mask. A judge set bail at $10,000 for Serrano and $25,000 for the other two tourists. Serrano and Carrillo were arrested while Hizam’s whereabouts are unknown.
The arrests comes as reports of tourists misbehaving in public and breaking COVID-19 protocols run rampant on local news outlets and social media. Videos and photos have surfaced of visitors gathering in large groups, not wearing masks, fighting in public spaces, and even riding scooters on highways. Police have arrested both locals and tourists for breaking curfew but not for violating quarantine, a new level of enforcement intended to deter travelers from risky behavior that could spread the virus.
Some incidents, many documented through cellphones, have turned violent. In November, an American tourist at the San Juan airport reportedly attacked a National Guard soldier who asked him to put on a mask. A woman in a wheelchair said she made the same request to a separate group of visitors and had an alcoholic drink poured over her head.
THREAD. Tourists in Puerto Rico assault woman in wheelchair. The tourists, were asked wear their masks, to keep their distance, and hold the door for her so she could enter the building. The tourist refuses, says “SPEAK ENGLISH!” then throws her alcohol drink at woman’s face. pic.twitter.com/0xiXzMYITt
— paolette (@deviIette) February 12, 2021
Puerto Ricans across public forums and social media have expressed bewilderment and outrage at the recent behavior of some visitors and demanded that the government take action. Many are concerned that tourists will fuel a new uptick in cases in the American territory with fragile infrastructure, where multiple variants of the coronavirus, including the UK and Brazilian strains, have all been recently detected.
Puerto Rico has taken an aggressive stance against the virus compared to many states in the U.S. mainland. When the pandemic began, the archipelago went under a strict months-long lockdown that shuttered all non-essential businesses and imposed a curfew that has still not entirely been lifted.
With spring break travel ramping up, multiple government agencies are collaborating to curb behaviors in tourist zones that could spread the coronavirus.
Over the weekend, the Department of Health shuttered 15 businesses in San Juan for violating COVID-19 norms. Ten others received fines. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company also launched an English-language campaign geared toward tourists, reminding visitors to follow local COVID-19 guidelines.
“Wear a mask or get a $100 fine,” one billboard in San Juan reads.
At a press conference Monday, officials said that that they are looking to pursue a strategy that includes “prevention, intervention, and filing cases.” Police will strengthen patrol efforts and limit vehicular access at night in areas popular with tourists around the San Juan metropolitan region. Authorities issued at least 110 fines for improper mask use between Thursday and Sunday, the force’s commissioner said.
“Anyone who does not respect the laws and executive orders should know that they are exposed, not only to considerable fines but to be thrown into prison. Puerto Rico is a great vacation destination, but it is also a place of law and order,” said Secretary of Justice Domingo Emanuelli in a press release announcing the charges. “Our residents deserve security and peace of mind and our team of prosecutors will work to ensure it.”
