Drinking time to 1am?

[NewsWhore]

The Ministry of Interior and Police has caved in to pressure and announced that it would extend the official time limit for selling alcoholic drinks to 1am at selected restaurants and businesses in Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo, the country's two largest cities. The government has relaxed the measure already in tourist destinations. Minister Franklin Almeyda Rancier made the announcement on Friday. He said that the extension is not being applied nationwide, but at authorized centers. He said that anyone who would like an extension should apply at the Ministry of Interior and Police, and their businesses will be evaluated by the fire service and public health ministry officials to determine whether they qualify. Last year the government instituted time limits from Sunday to Thursday to midnight, and on Fridays and Saturdays and holidays to 2am. The measure was welcomed by parents, but criticized from some quarters on the grounds that that the DR lived off tourism and people came here to party. The Police backed the curfews, saying that most gun fights occurred between people who were under the influence of alcohol.

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