Tourists
Scared Off By Garbage In Limón
The 2.000 or so cruise line passengers
docking at the puerto de Limón surely had no
idea that they would be greeted by a mounds
of garbage piling up in the Caribbean port
town, caused by a strike of the officials of
the Municipalidad de Limón, who are refusing
to collect the garbage.
The concern of the cruise line passengers
are the health risks, especially with the
AH1N1 flu virus.
However, Carlos Machore of the Ministerio de
Ambiente, Energia y Telecommunicaciones (MINAET)
- environment ministry - assured the boat
captains that the flu situation in Limón is
under control and there is no risk of
infection.
Machore talked to the captains before they
would allow passengers to set foot on land.
The talks lasted for more than two hours.
The cruise liner, arriving from Freeport,
Bahamas, docked at 6am, but it wasn't until
8:30am when the first tourist got off.
Eduardo Barboza, the mayor of Limón,
explained that the workers are on strike
demanding more money. "we have been
analyzing the salary adjustment situation
for several months, but I don't think there
will be any more money for garbage
collectors", said Barboza.
The garbage strike has been on for two days
now.
Barboza said that he will be meeting with
the unions to try to resolve the situation.
"We cannot allow that the workers (garbage
collectors) paralyze the development of the
area", said Barboza. |
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