No police clampdown on carnival dress as morality and virus debate heats up

Police Chief Jorge Miranda said Wednesday , Feb. 19 that there will  be no clampdown on what people wear at Carnival celebration after a social media conflagration ignited by calls for cancelation of the celebrations  by an evangelical pastor.

“We are not going to define what the type of clothing is. Each person is aware of how they should behave, because there are social norms recognized by each one of us. ”  said Miranda.

Police will not charge or interfere or impose measures on clothing that minors will use during carnival days in the country.

However, he warned that those who will be aware of the issue are officials of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (Senniaf), who will be at each of the entrances to the points where the culecos (tanks of water  used to spray celebrants) are located.

He added that as citizens “we all have to be careful not to put at risk the training of our youth and children by exposing them to activities that could put both their physical health and their personal training at risk.”

Children participating in the culecos must carry their youth ID and be accompanied by at least one adult.

In a  controversial video circulating on social media Pastor Edwin Álvarez, condemns the authorities for not canceling the events because of the coronavirus outbreak

. “ If there was responsibility, the carnivals would be suspended. What are you waiting for, that people get infected and fill the hospitals? ”he said

In a controversial video that circulates in social networks of the pastor in the , the holiday not only puts the population of infections at risk, it also leads the human being to perdition … Suspend those Carnivals before God’s judgment falls on them !! Down with sin, down with liquor, down with immorality, down with doom !! ” Alvarez added.

The health authorities in the country have said that at the moment there is no circulation of Covid19 or new coronavirus, so there is no need to cancel the carnivals. What they have recommended are prevention measures for various diseases.

There is no scientific support for us to close some massive activity, ”said  Lourdes Moreno, an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health .

The Catholic Church asked for sanity in carnivals. Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa called for respect for human