A two-day general strike brought life to a halt this week in two provinces of the Dominican Republic's north-east interior: Duarte and Hermanas Mirabal. Starting Tuesday, businesses closed their shutters, schools skipped classes and public transport largely stopped running, as community groups pressed local authorities for long-promised fixes to everyday infrastructure.
In San Francisco de Macorís, the main city of Duarte province, organisers demanded road repairs and paving, new sidewalks and curbs, and the restart of several stalled road projects. They also want work to resume on the Mamá Tingó community centre, which has sat unfinished for two years, and the rebuilding of the municipal market — still surrounded by rubble and waste a full year after a fire gutted it. Protesters highlighted three broader gripes: unreliable drinking water, frequent blackouts paired with steep electricity bills, and fuel prices that keep pushing transport costs up.
Over in Hermanas Mirabal, the Salcedo Coalition of Popular Movements ran its own 48-hour stoppage. Spokesperson Héctor Bloise said roughly 90% of businesses in Salcedo took part, and the demands there include building the La Caoba bridge, fixing the rundown sewage system, improving garbage collection, and restarting work on the Palmarito road, stalled for more than four months. The strike was meant to be peaceful, Bloise insisted, but the days saw blocked streets, a heavy police and military presence, gunfire and tear gas — which he accused security forces of firing into residential areas. Both groups say they simply want concrete commitments from officials, not vague promises.
Why should this matter to you as a traveller? Neither San Francisco de Macorís nor Salcedo is a major tourist hub — most visitors to the Dominican Republic head for Punta Cana, Santo Domingo or the north-coast beaches around Puerto Plata. But the struck provinces sit on inland routes some travellers use between the north coast and the interior, and strikes here mean little public transport, closed shops and unpredictable roadblocks. If your itinerary passes through this part of the country during a strike window, expect delays, keep plans flexible and check local news before travelling. Protests elsewhere in the country have occasionally affected roads around the capital too, so it's worth monitoring any organised strike dates during your trip. For now, the immediate disruption is limited to these two provinces and the 48-hour period, though organisers have signalled they'll keep pressure on until authorities respond.
