Erfurt/Weimar (dpa/th) - Only a few refugees came to Thuringia over the Christmas holidays. A spokesman for the Thuringian state administration office in Weimar said 1,162 people were accommodated in the initial reception center in Suhl on Tuesday. One day before Christmas Eve, on December 23, there were still 1068 - so 94 people came over the Christmas holidays. In the past few weeks, the accommodation in Suhl has sometimes been considered overcrowded. The municipalities also complained about problems in finding enough accommodation for the refugees.
Thuringia's Migration Minister Dirk Adams (Greens) had announced that no refugees should be distributed to the municipalities between Christmas and New Year. Therefore, the occupancy rate in Suhl was reduced before the public holidays.
Should too many refugees arrive in Thuringia to be able to accommodate them all in Suhl, it is planned to prepare the emergency accommodation in Hermsdorf for operation within 48 hours. Although it was opened on December 15, no refugees have been accommodated there yet. Adams sees the use of the hall only as an emergency solution.
