The Ministry of Social Development carried out a special operation this Sunday to combat the arrival of the cold wave, announced by the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology for this Monday, and serve some 4,000 people who are on the street, as announced by Minister Martín Lema .
The Cold Polar plan, which was put into operation this Sunday at 7:00 p.m., aims to give shelter to those who live on the street, in any part of the country, with some 4,000 places available between the different centers, which include military units, Mides shelters and other accommodation.
The Mides, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior will be divided up to carry out the monitoring and this last Secretary of State will be in charge of “carrying out tours during the night in search of” bringing those people who are out in the open closer to the centers. “.
The goal is “to keep our guard up, trust a lot and turn to the public, who, with the warnings, help us a lot to cover these cases, and to the teams that are acting in an inter-institutional manner in the territory,” Lema told a conference of press. “The idea is to have a permanent connection,” she added.
The minister indicated that, depending on their characteristics, each shelter will be adapted to function as a nightclub or, in some cases, will remain open 24 hours a day.
In turn, in the interior of the country, the ministry will work together with the departmental emergency committees to coordinate their actions. “Quotas are available constantly throughout the Winter Plan and specifically for these climatic events through coordination with the Cecoed,” she added.
The start-up of these operations occurs after the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology reported in a statement that the formation of frosts is expected for the days of Tuesday 31st and Wednesday 1st and that the occurrence of scarce rainfall in the areas is likely. eastern coastal.
It is in this context that the Mides authorities will reinforce their street teams and will prioritize their vigilance to control the climatic state. This was expressed by the Minister of Social Development: “When the seriousness (of a case) can affect health and generate a greater risk, medical personnel are expected to act.”
In principle, the initiative was planned for this Monday, the day on which an “air mass of polar origin” will enter Uruguay and will persist until Wednesday, however “due to due diligence” – Lema explained – the authorities decided to bring it forward.
Arrival of the cold wave
Starting this Monday, an “air mass of polar origin” will enter Uruguay, with minimum temperatures between -3ºC and 2ºC; and maximum between 10ºC and 13ºC in the most affected areas, Inumet indicated.
The temperature will drop throughout the country, but the phenomenon will mainly affect the southwest, center, east and northeast.
The Inumet foresees the formation of frosts for Tuesday and Wednesday. Likewise, the occurrence of low rainfall in the eastern coastal areas is likely.
“The situation will continue to be monitored and a cold wave warning will be issued in the next few hours if warranted,” the institute’s report concludes.
