- Title: 196 AT COVID-19 President address
- Date: 2nd April 2020
- Description:Alexander van der Bellen: accepting drastic economic consequences "right thing to do" Austrian president said entire society has acted to protect the lives of our particularly vulnerable fellow citizens, and we have to hang on with these new habits. Alexander van der Bellen has given a broadcast speech Thursday evening. He asked the people to hang on, and to follow the new rules, as to wash hands, and to keep distance. He also said there will be an end of this crisis, but no one can say at the moment when this will happen. Also he said that there is one thing we know that we are more connected between each other than we thought and that actions by some have consequences for others. Therefore society decided to protect all lives, even as this means for all severe restrictions and economic difficulties. He also said one day, we will be able to look back, on this weird spring in 2020. Shotlist - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "Dear Austrians and all who live here. We are all currently facing a major challenge together. The corona pandemic demands great restrictions and a lot of consideration from us. And we have dead people to mourn. To all relatives who have lost a loved one, I would like to express my special condolences." 00.30 - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "And to all people who are impatiently waiting for the end of this crisis. To all of you, I say: Let's hang on! Let's hang on! And: Let us keep our courage and our confidence!" 00:40 - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "Dear Austrians and all those who live here, I will be honest with you: I don't know how long it will take to overcome this crisis. And I also do not know how bad it will be. No one can say that with certainty. But there is one certainty. And I ask you to always remember that it will pass. The crisis will pass. Until it does, we will get used to a new way of life for a while. We will maintain for a time some new habits that are simply necessary for us all to protect ourselves. We have already gotten used to not shaking hands. More often we keep on washing our hands, because it makes sense anyway. Let's keep in touch with everyone who is important to us but with distance. So, let's keep at least one-meter distance to the next one, as we learned in the meantime." 01.48 - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "And part of our new togetherness is probably also the fact that we do not immediately have an answer to every question. Rather, we are prepared to constantly learn and adapt our strategies. Ladies and gentlemen, even if we are now struggling with our situation, even if we sometimes find it hard to bear it. There are insights that we can gain. And if we do that, this crisis may not have been in vain. One insight is quite obvious: We are stronger and more closely connected than we were aware. Everything we do or don't do has consequences for others. We see and prove this in a positive sense right now: our entire society has acted to protect the lives of our particularly vulnerable fellow citizens. Even those who are not directly endangered are radically restricting their lives. And in doing so, they accept drastic economic consequences. But we do it because it is the right thing to do. Because we want to live in a society in which every life is equally valuable. where those who are doing well look at those who are not doing so well. In this way we show that for us these are not just words, but that these words are also worth something to us. And that we act accordingly in case of emergency." 03.33 - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "With the strength of each one of us, we are now all together weakening the virus! We all fill what we believe in with life. We show respect and selflessness and thus strengthen our community. A heartfelt thank you for this." 03.55 - SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Alexander van der Bellen, Austrian federal president: "Dear Ladies and gentlemen, some day we will look back on this strange, painful, unreal Spring of 2020. And we will recognize, it has passed. It has passed! And we will perhaps be able to better appreciate how valuable and important we are to each other. Many thanks and a good evening."
- Collection: ORF
- Genre:News
- Producer:ORF
- Transmission Date:02/04/2020
- Decade: 2020s