Extra Security and Safety Precautions Added in Vallarta for Easter Holidays Team Angels/Gerardo Gonzalez - Vallarta Opina
go to original April 9, 2017

Authorities from the three levels of government announced that actions are already defined to guarantee the safety of the hundreds of thousands of tourists and residents of Vallata during the holiday period of Holy Week and Easter, whose operation started on Friday, April 7 at 9:00 am and will conclude on Sunday, April 23.

Adrián Bobadilla García, Deputy Director of Civil Protection and Firemen, and Jorge Antonio Hernández Valencia, head of the Citizen Safety and Security Police Station, led the last pre-meeting for the General Order of Operations of Holy Week and Easter (Semana Santa y de Pascua) 2017.

In the 2016 operation almost 60 thousand services were granted, and Hernández Valencia stressed that the objective is to achieve a balance, although an unprecedented tourist influx is expected, "according to statistics we have, there would be 130 thousand people daily only in occupancy of rooms."

For this reason, surveillance actions will be carried out on beaches, religious centers, commercial areas, banks and department stores, roads and mass concentration points of tourists, as well as in the different housing areas, rivers and streams.

Police Surveillance

The personnel of the Preventive Police will work in two shifts, which will redouble the force status, establish security filters at the main points of entry to the municipality, as well as strategic support points and surveillance tours at different meeting points.

From Thursday April 13 to Sunday April 16, vigilance will be intensified in religious centers, specifically on Friday April 14 where the traditional "Viacrucis" is carried out, such as the churches of Guadalupe, San Miguel Arcángel, Virgen de Talpa, Refugio , The Holy Cross, San Rafael, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Divine Providence. Filters on the malecón will prohibit the entry of coolers and glass containers, while 19 beaches with public access will be monitored.

Operative 'Saving Lives' Daily

Vialidad Municipal will implement the operation "Saving Lives" (Breathalyzers) every holiday day, from 10:00 at night to 5:00 in the morning, as it has greatly helped reduce road accident rates; The flow of urban trucks in the Central zone will be diverted according to the influx of people; In addition, Marina Vallarta will be used as a parking lot, and schedules for providers will be restricted.

Civil Protection and Firefighters

The Civil Protection and Firefighters Coordination will attend different points for emergency, incident or disaster assistance with operational bases at its headquarters, Gaviotas, Conchas Chinas, Joyas del Pedregal and Ixtapa; Will have lifeguard on all the beaches of the destination, and the inspection elements will review the positions that handle equipment and material of risk.

The camps will be restricted on all beaches so as not to distract resources, while the Ecology Branch will allocate 10 elements on guard and conduct a wildlife management course in order to be prepared for any incident.

Other Dependencies and Institutions

The Directorate of Regulations will have 63 elements that will concentrate mainly in the federal zone, who have the authority to put order in service providers that do not respect the security measures.

The Directorate of Tourism will serve 6 modules and 4 offices of attention and information, distributed in the tourist strip and El Pitillal, and will provide permanent legal assistance for visitors.

The DIF System will be added to different agencies to grant assistance, primarily in the case of lost children.

The Emergency Call Center (CALLE), which operates number 911, was reinforced with more staff and coordinated with the Emergency Operations Center (COE) to establish liaison with other units.

Also participating in the meeting were the Eighth Naval Zone, 41st Military Zone, Federal Police, UEPCBJ, Secretariat of Mobility and Transport, Port Captain, Jalisco Tourism Secretariat, Jalisco Health Secretariat, CISEN, as well as the Red Cross and Association Of Hotels and Motels, among others.

Translated and edited by Team Angels