Loitz (dpa/mv) - The Vorpommern-Greifswald district is once again preparing the former elementary school in Loitz as emergency accommodation for refugees. It was only actually closed in December, said a district spokeswoman on Wednesday. The building had already been prepared as accommodation for people fleeing Ukraine in the spring.

The number of people assigned to the district by the state is consistently high, the district said. At the same time, there is not enough living space available. The community accommodations in the district are fully occupied and have reached the load limit. "The district will continue to do its best to help deal with the currently tense refugee situation," said District Administrator Michael Sack (CDU). However, the state and federal government have a duty not to leave the districts and municipalities alone.

"An expectation that the tasks and problems as well as the decisions made will simply be dealt with by the last ones in the chain does not contribute to solving the problem but rather leads to a further loss of acceptance in the population," criticized Sack.

According to the district, the use of the former elementary school means that the gymnasium in Greifswald's Siemensallee does not have to be occupied. "This means that school sports at the Greifswald Vocational School are still secured and the clubs can still train in the gym in Siemensallee," emphasized Sack. According to the spokeswoman, the former elementary school in Loitz is to be converted into a special needs school starting this year - but only after the accommodation of the refugees has been clarified accordingly.