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COVID-19: Jakarta turns sports halls into temporary homeless shelters
The Jakarta administration is set to repurpose all city-owned sports halls across the capital into temporary homeless shelters for those who have lost their jobs and homes as a result of COVID-19.
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A medical worker examines a homeless man at the Tanah Abang sports hall in Central Jakarta on Saturday. The Jakarta administration is set to turn all city-owned sports hall into temporary homeless shelters. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
T
he Jakarta administration is set to repurpose all city-owned sports halls (GOR) across the capital into temporary homeless shelters for those who have lost their jobs and homes due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"The Jakarta administration will prepare existing facilities [and] sports halls such as this one [in Tanah Abang] as a temporary place to live for residents who are going through difficult times," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said during an interview with Kompas TV at the Tanah Abang GOR in Central Jakarta on Saturday.
"For example, people who can no longer afford their rent can stay in temporary shelters."
He said the sports halls would also be equipped with public kitchens.
"The important thing is that no one is abandoned," he added.
The economic slowdown caused by large-scale social restrictions – introduced as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak – has caused many in Jakarta, particularly the working class, to lose their jobs.
Both the central government and the city administration are distributing aid to those hit hardest by the economic downturn, but concerns have been raised about the accuracy and completeness of the data used for the distribution.
