Alarm: Children as young as 11 years old were among the 145 people intoxicated by alcohol during Holy Week.

A major public safety operation staged over the 2026 Holy Week holiday in the Dominican Republic has revealed alarming rates of alcohol and food poisoning among revelers, including three underage people affected by excessive alcohol consumption. The country’s Emergency Operations Center (COE) published its latest update on Holy Saturday, confirming that 145 individuals have required medical treatment for alcohol poisoning. Among those impacted are three minors between the ages of 11 and 17, raising new concerns about underage access to alcohol during seasonal holiday gatherings. In addition to the alcohol poisoning cases, COE data also shows 86 people have sought and received medical care for food poisoning over the course of the holiday celebrations so far. The cross-agency safety operation, dubbed “Conscience for Life, Holy Week 2026,” was launched on the order of Dominican President Luis Abinader, kicking off on Thursday, April 2. A core component of the deployment is a dedicated road safety and public health prevention unit, which went active at 2:00 p.m. on opening day and is scheduled to remain in service until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, when the full operation will wrap up. The operation was designed to mitigate common risks associated with Holy Week, a major holiday period that draws large public gatherings, increased travel, and widespread social celebrations across the country. The early poisoning data underscores the ongoing public health challenges facing authorities during peak seasonal holiday events, even with proactive prevention measures in place.