The English version of Bettel's text - reproduced in full below - was shared on the prime minister's Facebook page.
"Dear all,
I would like to take the opportunity to address you in this way to provide some explanations regarding the current situation and how we intent to best plan for the upcoming months.
First of all, I would like to emphasize that we are well aware that the current times are not easy. This pandemic has been with us for over half a year now and even though there was a slight easing in the summer, it is a permanently stressful situation for each and every one of us.
We would all like to be done with Covid.
Unfortunately, we are not there yet. I cannot promise you that we will get there very soon. Currently, first news about highly effective vaccines start surfacing and treatment methods are now significantly better than at the beginning of the pandemic. But, we will really only be able to put all of this behind us once a large majority of the population has antibodies. Unfortunately, we are still quite far away from that.
Therefore, rules that help limit the spread of the virus and protect your health and that of your fellow citizens need to remain in place for the time being.
We, as a government but also I personally, are well aware that these rules do not always seem fair, that there is no 100% coherence and certainly some uncertainties. Unfortunately, this is a part of the fight we have been waging against the virus since early March. Every single decision, rule and restriction has an impact on the spread of the virus, but also has side effects and consequences.
It is not possible to capture every single situation and regulate it by law. We are dependent on everyone showing solidarity, being responsible and behaving respectfully towards his or her fellow citizens.
At the moment, the situation is stable, but at a very high level. Together, we managed to avoid an exponential increase of new infections, but the virus remains very present among the population. We do currently have significantly more new infections per day than in spring and summer. But we can also deal with them in a much better way. At the level of hospitalizations, the situation is tense and we must keep an eye on this, but even here the situation remains under control for now. This is in a large part due to the fact that the hospital staff continue to be extremely committed and have been doing extraordinary work for months now. They deserve our gratitude, but also our respect and solidarity.
The government is constantly in the process of consulting with each other, evaluating the situation, talking to the experts, examining the information we are getting from research and on the ground from hospitals to weigh out what, when and in what way needs to happen.
We do not just look at the virus alone, but keep in mind the entire population, as well as public health in general, the well-being of the people who are already living more isolated lives in normal times. We think of the thousands of young people whose future prospects lay in our hands, we think of the families who are clinging to jobs that are at risk due to this pandemic.
So, when we fight this virus with the aim to slow down its spread, it is because we want to protect the health of our citizens, but also because we want to protect our society and our social system, because we want and need to maintain perspectives for the future.
We must therefore continue our efforts. We need to persevere.
In contrast to other countries, we have so far not had to completely shut down our lives during this second big wave of infections and impose a so-called lockdown. The fight against the virus is not a sprint, but a marathon. And now, that we are once again in a steep part of the race, one can either take a break to catch one’s breath before continue running or try to run very slowly without having to stop completely. We decided to proceed slowly and we want to go on without having to stop. The possibility that we have to slow down even further cannot be disregarded, but we do not want to stop entirely.
Whether we succeed in doing so now depends on all of us. The virus does not spread by itself, we are the ones who make that possible - but can also prevent it.
The basic rules still apply: keep your distance – wash your hands – wear a mask.
Do what is necessary and try to avoid what isn’t. It's about you, it's about us, it's about everyone."
