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Safety measures in place for Easter Week in El Golfo
SAN LUIS, R.C., Sonora - Four roadside police checkpoints, along with law enforcement officers on all-terrain vehicles, will be part of an effort to ensure tourists coming to El Golfo de Santa Clara this week will be safe.
Easter Week is a popular time for visitors from both Mexico and the United States to go to El Golfo, about 70 miles south of Yuma. The beach community is promoting "Semana Santa en el Golfo" (Holy Week in El Golfo).
The visitor protection effort has been dubbed Operation Carrusel. Paolo Navarro Hernández, the economic development director for San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., said that a total of 61 officers as well as members of rescue teams will be in charge of preventing accidents on the road to El Golfo, as well as in town, where they are expecting 55,000 tourists from Arizona, California, Baja California and San Luis Río Colorado.
Checkpoints will be set up close to Pozas de Arvizu, where the police will be stationed along with a rescue team, said Hernández. The town of Luis B Sánchez will have another checkpoint where officers will be joined by firefighters. The third checkpoint will be at La Flor del Desierto, where police will team up with rescue team members. The last checkpoint will be at Kilometro 91.
Police officers will be leading Operation Carrusel to ensure motorists are driving at moderate speeds since road conditions are not conducive to high speeds. There is some construction at Estación Doctor.
Hernández said they are hoping that the economic crisis will make the nearby beaches more attractive as vacationers try to cut costs.
As for San Luis, Ariz., the police department there will not have a checkpoint for vehicles heading south this long holiday weekend.
"It does not make sense to have two checkpoints since customs officials are already conducting inspections as vehicles enter into Mexico," according to San Luis Police Lieutenant Gerardo Torres. "We do not want to hold up vehicles any longer than we have to. We will have intensive patrol in the city during the later part of the week and weekend. There will be zero tolerance for DUI's and speeders."
