The Tourism Company of Puerto Rico (CTPR) will keep the San Felipe del Morro and San Cristóbal castles closed until today at 6:00 p.m., until the President of the United States, Donald Trump, releases the closure. partial of the federal Government.
And it is that as announced on December 23 the Executive Director of the CTPR, Carla Campos, the Government of Puerto Rico committed to the National Park Service (NPS, in English) to defray the expenses of the operations of the Historic Site of San Juan for two weeks, but the term expired.
“The term has already expired and NPS has notified us of its decision not to grant an extension to the agreement for operational reasons,” Campos explained in written statements.
For this reason, both facilities will cease operations as of Monday from 18.00 (22.00 GMT) local time, until the end of the federal government, pending the US Congress approves a budget of 5.6 billion dollars to finance the border wall between the US and Mexico.
However, the official said that the Paseo del Morro and the green areas outside the castles will remain open to the public.
Campos, however, said that the CTPR has expressed to the NPS that it is willing and prepared to extend the term and amount of the agreement, “and thus manage to keep two of our main tourist attractions open”, which have been visited by 45,000 people since the agreement was signed.
“We thank the entire NPS team that has worked diligently in the past few weeks so that Puerto Ricans and tourists, alike, have been able to enjoy this heritage of humanity,” Campos said.
“We keep in direct communication with NPS and contemplating alternatives that allow us to minimize the negative impact that this closure represents for local commerce and the visitor’s experience”, emphasized the head of the CTPR.
Campos, in turn, urged the US Congress and the Administration of President Trump to, in the process of negotiating the federal budget, “consider the repercussions that this expansion has on the entire nation, including the American citizens who live in Puerto Rico and who depend on tourism for their collective well-being. “
The partial closure of the Administration affects agencies of ten Executive departments, including Transportation and Justice, as well as dozens of national parks.
It also harms some 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal workers who will not be charged while the government remains closed and are at the expense of approving a new budget. (EFEUSA) .-
