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“Austria will deal with this together,” Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen said in his traditional televised speech on the national holiday last night.
The crown pandemic was the dominant theme. Van der Bellen appealed with the usual sensible rhetoric to cohesion in the country, but also stated that the mood of the population is currently tense in view of the rapidly renewed increase in infection rates and the associated new restrictions. “Obviously there is a lot of anger right now. Anger and fear. Anger and fear are bad advisers. They cloud our thinking and lead our actions in the wrong direction,” Van der Bellen said.
You can understand that this pandemic is already “really getting on the nerves” for many, the president said. Be “a burden to all of us.” This is precisely why we now have to act with each other and not against each other, demanded Van der Bellen. It won’t help to look for mutual culprits now. The virus can only be controlled through fact-based actions, “and with timely, understandable and traceable communication,” Van der Bellen said.
But he will not let this pandemic depress him, the federal president said. “And when we meet again at this point in a year, on October 26, 2021, then hopefully we will have the worst behind us. Then we will look back at this unreal moment and we can say: we never have, even in the most difficult moments. ” don’t forget our reason, our compassion, our community, because that’s what our beautiful home is built on, “said Van der Bellen.
Photo: APA / BUNDESHEER / PETER LECHNER
Limited ceremony
The ceremony of the national holiday yesterday morning at the Heldenplatz in Vienna was also dominated by Corona, it was carried out in a reduced form. Both the traditional military display and the guided tours of the Hofburg, parliament and ministries were only held online or were canceled. Only the ceremony of laying the wreath by the Federal President and the Federal Government was carried out as usual. The traditional oath of recruits was carried out on a limited basis, only twelve instead of the originally planned 300 recruits were sworn in.
During the ceremony, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) again called for perseverance until a vaccine “allows a return to normality.” You face one of the toughest challenges since WWII.
The opposition criticized the government’s management of the crown crisis. Moderation alone is not enough, said SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
