On the first day of a red alert for low temperatures, the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) activated a deployment in the capital, where some 500 people requested entry to the emergency centers.

This is an initial stage that the National Director of Social Protection, Daniel Gerhard, described as progressive, and seeks to minimize the number of citizens exposed to the elements throughout Uruguay.

For this purpose, the red alert is in effect, a regulation mandating evacuation in life-threatening situations.

Gerhard emphasized that the shelters coordinate state services.

A hundred people were referred to addiction treatment programs and assisted living facilities. Furthermore, the medical care provided in the shelters allows for the identification of urgent health needs.

In the interior of the country, evacuation centers are located in military units, while in Montevideo the sports complex of the National Police Academy is once again housing homeless people, as is the headquarters of the National Army’s Transportation and Maintenance Service.

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