It will become clear on Thursday morning how many people were in the registration center in Ter Apel during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. From midnight, a maximum of 2,000 asylum seekers may stay there, but the COA says that no counting will be done at that time. How many people were in Ter Apel at midnight will become clear after 9 a.m., a spokesperson emphasizes.
The municipality of Westerwolde also says that although the numbers will be announced on Thursday morning, it concerns the numbers at midnight.
For every day that the number of 2,000 asylum seekers in Ter Apel is exceeded, the COA must pay a penalty of 15,000 euros from Thursday, the judge ruled last month. COA board chairman Milo Schoenmaker said earlier on Wednesday that he expected COA to comply with the judge’s ruling, but he was still cautious.
Schoenmaker also emphasized in EenVandaag on Wednesday evening that it will be “tiny and thin”. “More people are going out than coming in,” he said in the AVROTROS current affairs program. “As it stands now, it will work, but we will know the final figures tomorrow morning.”
Discussions are still ongoing with a number of smaller reception locations where people from Ter Apel may be able to go this week. It was previously announced that the municipality of Dronten will make at least 240 places available at the Walibi Holland event site in Biddinghuizen.