Yogyakarta City Government Proposes Two Bener Rusunawa Towers For COVID-19 Isoter Shelters

Illustration - Tower Two of Bener Flats in Tegalrejo District, Yogyakarta (ANTARA/HO-UPT Rusunawa Yogyakarta)

YOGYAKARTA - The Yogyakarta City Government plans to apply for a permit to use Tower Two of Bener Simple Rental Flats (Rusunawa) in Tegalrejo District as an additional shelter for the need for centralized isolation of COVID-19 patients.

"I have asked DPUPKP to prepare everything needed for the utilization permit process to the center or to the PUPR Ministry," said Yogyakarta Mayor Haryadi Suyuti, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, February 9.

According to Haryadi, Tower Two Rusunawa Bener meets the requirements to be used as an additional shelter because it is located right next to tower one, which has been used as a centralized isolation shelter for COVID-19 patients.

Like tower one, each unit in tower two of the flats is also equipped with various furniture so that it can be directly used for isolation.

"The building is still new because it has just been completed. So, later it will be concentrated in one location so that it will be easier to manage," he said.

Tower One Rusunawa Bener has 42 rooms and each room can be used by two patients, while in tower two there are 44 rooms.

Previously, the City of Yogyakarta used Rusunawa Gemawang in Sleman Regency as an additional shelter. Currently, the shelter is in an inactive condition because there are no patients using it.

Regarding the application for a utilization permit for the shelter, Haryadi said that the registration process for prospective occupants for Menara Dua Rusunawa Bener may be delayed first.

"At that time, registration was opened with the assumption that the case was sloping. But it turned out that there was an increase in cases so that it had the potential to increase the need for isolation places. Therefore, registration was postponed until there was clarity from the center regarding the status of this pandemic," he said.

The Bener Satu shelter is currently inhabited by 30 patients. "Many of them actually come from outside the area from travellers," he said.

On Wednesday, February 9, there were an additional 103 new cases of COVID-19 in Yogyakarta City with six patients recovering or completing isolation and no patient dying. Thus, there are currently 461 active cases in the city of Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, Head of the Yogyakarta City Housing and Settlement Public Works Agency (DPUPKP), Hari Setya Wacana, said he would follow developments regarding the plan to use Tower Two Rusunawa Bener for the need for isolation shelters for COVID-19 patients.