This Saturday a trade fair paralyzed traffic on the avenue in front of the Plaza de Carlos III. With the participation of several CIMEX branches, and after more than two years that this type of event was not organized in the shopping complex, the sale began in the morning amid complaints from the population and an abundant police presence.
The offer was varied: oil, shampoo, deodorant, canned soft drinks, compote, among other products. The problem was in the quantity available, very poor and gave the impression that it would soon be exhausted. Some merchandise, practically disappeared or of very little sale in stores in national currency, such as children’s items, were being sold at high prices. A small backpack cost 495 CUP while some board games cost around 400.
The queue extended to several blocks from the place and was heavily guarded by numerous members of the police and the prevention department of the Armed Forces, it was also notable in the vicinity, plainclothes agents who carefully observed everything that happened in the surroundings. .
The sales area was cordoned off, it consisted of several tents located in the portals of the area, access was controlled by law enforcement officers who collected identity cards from people before entering.
Long delay, crowds at the entrance, the queue advanced very slowly, a scenario that caused complaints as the hours passed and many lost hope of being able to buy
Long delay, crowds at the entrance, the queue moved very slowly, a scenario that caused complaints as the hours passed and many lost hope of being able to buy. “This fair is only for the news, they sell a little things to advertise, but this queue does not walk and there are few products, we probably cannot buy,” commented a woman in line when she saw that the police were taking too long to organize .
Within that restricted access area, several incidents occurred between the uniformed men and some people who tried to go out to the rope that delimited the place to look for money. “Return the money,” the policeman ordered a woman. “She’s my sister, she brought me money because I can’t buy everything I want,” she explained. “Give it back now,” replied the policeman in a threatening tone. The woman finally returned the money and, after a heated discussion, several uniformed officers detained her to a patrol car.
This newspaper was able to verify that there was no strict observance of compliance with sanitary measures in the place, some people lowered their masks to speak or smoke and the distance between the attendees in the middle of the crowd was not fulfilled.
In Carlos III there have been other fairs of this type in the past, although never with such an influx of public, nor in the middle of a surveillance operation as large as the one deployed this Saturday in the area.
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