The Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt acts as a hub for the placement of Ukrainian refugees in Lower Austria. The people are medically examined, registered and assigned to quarters in the federal state. Asylum Councilor Gottfried Waldhäusl (FPÖ) got an idea of the situation on Thursday. “The assistance works perfectly,” he stated.
Partner is the Red Cross. 40 employees look after the initial reception center in the Arena Nova. The arrivals are first tested for the corona virus, Lower Austria is the only federal state to also carry out a lung X-ray to detect tuberculosis diseases. After this health check, the people are led to their sleeping places and provided with hygiene articles. There is a meal three times a day.
Schmoll: “Learned from 2015”
“We learned from 2015 and it is important to us that we are an arrival center here, where a lot of humanity is radiated and people are supported,” said Josef Schmoll, President of the Red Cross Lower Austria, “in addition, they are also told how to proceed , where the private accommodation is and what options you have here in Austria.”
In addition to a vocational school in Wiener Neustadt, the Arena Nova is the hub for the transport of refugees to accommodation in Lower Austria. Both voluntary and professional interpreters are deployed in the two initial reception centres. That proves very useful, said Schmoll. Arrival centers in St. Pölten and Schwechat will be added from Monday. “In addition,” said Waldhäusl, “contracts were concluded with Caritas and Diakonie, which are also responsible for mediating private quarters.”
After a maximum of 20 hours in the quarter
The regional council attested to the Red Cross for “excellent work”. Refugees would be provided with food, among other things, and after a maximum of 20 hours on average, “taken to their new quarters with their own four walls”. In Lower Austria, 1,700 people have currently found a place in basic care and receive the corresponding benefits.
“Not all refugees want basic services or their need for help is checked,” explained Waldhäusl. All in all, Lower Austria has the situation well under control.
500 refugees recorded in one day for the first time
A total of 2,900 war refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in Lower Austria so far. The numbers have increased significantly in the past few days, on Wednesday alone there were 500, explained Christian Dangl from the Aliens and Border Police Department of the State Police Directorate in a press conference in Schwechat on Thursday.
The registration point is located on the airport premises. It was set up almost two weeks ago. War refugees are registered here by the authorities, ie fingerprints are stored, a photo is taken and the passport is scanned, and they are also subjected to security checks, for example to determine whether they have an arrest warrant or a ban on residence.
Registered persons receive a residence card
The registration is necessary in order to obtain a residence card for Ukrainian war expellees, explained Michaela Frank from the regional directorate of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum. According to Frank, the card is an identity and EU residence document with appropriate security features.
Basic care begins with this process. However, refugees who have not yet been registered are not on the streets. Medical treatment is also possible on presentation of a travel document.
Also mobile registration points in use
Christian Dangl spoke of a challenging job. He knows there are backlogs. Work is in progress to catch up. In addition to the three stationary registration points, there are also mobile units in the state, according to Dangl. It is currently five to six in number. The deployment also takes place in cooperation with NGOs, and the mobile teams can be requested by the municipalities, for example.
It was emphasized that the recording in the respective offices takes place after an appointment, so that a quick processing is possible. Even if the Schwechat office is located at the airport, very few refugees are currently arriving there. Most would enter by road or by train from Poland.