A team of around 80 helpers were at the former clinic in Salzgitter-Bad to register and welcome the arriving refugees. Christa Frenzel, First City Councillor of the city of Salzgitter, thanked them for their great help and support.
The request for administrative assistance means that the city provides the refugees with accommodation to prevent them from becoming homeless and provides them with food and drink. The city examines the refugees and provides them with donated clothing. The refugees are then driven from here to the initial reception center in Braunschweig or Celle so that they can apply for asylum.
In view of the large number of people arriving in the various federal states, the state of Lower Saxony has asked the towns and municipalities for further support with a request for administrative assistance. To date, there have been four requests for assistance. As a rule, around 100 refugees arrive in Salzgitter-Bad in two buses at the former clinic. Most of them are from Syria and Iraq. Christa Frenzel welcomes the people on the bus, who have previously been taken by train from Passau to the distribution station in Laatzen or come directly by bus from Passau. With the help of an interpreter, the First City Councillor explains the next steps to the refugees.
The refugees are divided into groups of four to eight to then pass through the individual stations within the former hospital. One helper accompanies a group. Several interpreters are on hand to translate if necessary. Each refugee is given a registration number, which is later used to record their data. After a brief medical check-up, the refugees can first of all provide themselves with food and drink. There are stuffed animals for children in one room. After refreshments, their names, country of origin and date of birth are documented. The groups then go to the medical team. This is where the medical examination takes place. If an infectious disease is suspected, those affected are transferred to another accommodation. So far, no suspicion has been confirmed.
The refugees are then given a bag with a toothbrush, towel and soap. People can take something warm to wear with them from clothing donations. Many are only traveling with unsuitable footwear. The refugees repeatedly thank the helpers for this support, as they often have nothing with them and have been on the move for weeks.
The groups are now taken to the central accommodation facilities of the city of Salzgitter. Beds are available there. Some want to travel to relatives within Germany the next day, many also want to go to Sweden because their families are waiting there.
After the reception, First City Councillor Christa Frenzel forwards the data to the Ministry of the Interior to inform them of the current situation in Salzgitter.
How many refugees from this administrative assistance request procedure are still in Salzgitter can only be determined on a daily basis, as many of them travel on immediately or a few days later. Some have already returned. As of November 7, 2015, the number of refugees arriving in Salzgitter via the initial reception centre in Braunschweig was around 1000. Salzgitter is expecting a further 100 refugees on Tuesday, November 10, following another request for administrative assistance.