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Schrems town chief Karl Harrer (SPÖ) responded to criticism about holding a Turkish wedding on Thursday. There were plans for 350 visitors to the hall, so the applicable legal situation at the time was also met, Harrer told the APA. The September 12 festival had turned into a crown group, by Thursday 27 infected people were associated with it. Meanwhile, the organizer also justified himself.
As it became known Thursday afternoon, Schrems’s wedding group could have also triggered a cluster of cases in Linz: after a wedding celebration on Saturday at the Palais Kaufmännischer Verein, one person tested positive. According to the crisis team of the State of Upper Austria, this infected person was also in Schrems. According to the authorities, 120 people were present at the Linz celebration. The guest list of the bride and groom, also of Turkish origin, is only handwritten and incomplete, in some cases overlapping with the wedding party at Schrems.
The contract for the use of the town hall in Schrems – the municipality owns the property – was signed on August 20, Harrer explained. The contract contains a clear indication that “Covid-19 rules” must be observed. There was also a concept of security on this basis. Additionally, significantly fewer than the 350 advertised people attended the wedding ceremony.
Allowing a festival of this dimension at Schrems was to be “retrospectively described as a mistake,” admitted Harrer, however. “We are subject to a fallacy, despite the alleged fulfillment of the measures that occurred,” the SPÖ politician stated and spoke of a “story that came out as stupid.” With the knowledge in mind, the Schrems municipal office was closed Thursday, until further notice, as the city chief emphasized. In addition, all planned events would be canceled.
The mayor considers that the local ÖVP has a duty. This should “make excuses and show a sense of responsibility,” Tobias Spazierer, councilor and leader of the ÖVP parliamentary group in the local council, demanded on Thursday. Harrer sets aside “all responsibility” in the cause. In addition, it affirms “contrary to the clear legal situation at the time of the wedding celebration, which has established a maximum limit of 200 people for this type of event,” that an entrance for 350 people would have been possible.
With several video recordings of the wedding celebration, the organizers themselves went on the offensive. A clip published by ORF Niederösterreich shows, among other things, the temperature controls at the entrance and the observance of safety distances during meals. In a written statement it was indicated that the Schrems town hall had already been approved before the wedding. In addition, the number of guests had previously been communicated to the authorities.
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