The Karnataka government clarified that weddings that have been already scheduled for May 24 and 31 are to exempt from “Sunday complete lockdown” measure. It comes as a relief to many couples who were all set to tie their knots on the upcoming Sundays. But these weddings must ensure the safety guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Karnataka.
“It was ordered that there will be complete lockdown on Sundays, but as marriages have been scheduled already on these days, they will be considered as a special case,” Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority member-secretary TK Anil Kumar said in the clarification. “Marriages scheduled on ensuing Sundays will be allowed by the district Deputy Commissioners at the venue having good ventilation, sunlight and fresh air,” said Kumar in the order clarifying the exemption.
Announcing the fourth phase of lockdown restrictions, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had on Monday said that curfew would continue from 7 pm to 7 am and there would be a complete lockdown on Sundays till May 31, other than essential services.
There are various guidelines that couples must follow anyhow. The Karnataka government had enlisted several guidelines for conducting wedding and other functions. No more than 50 people are to attend a wedding function or an event in Karnataka. The directive also included that all guests must have the Aarogya Setu app installed on their phones. Further, the directive disallows air conditioning and also the consumption of liquor and paan. Karnataka government had also specified that there will be no invitation to people aged above 65, below 10 years or pregnant women.
The Guidelines Explained
An advisory by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services said that in view of the ongoing COV1D-19 pandemic, the Centre has decided to ease the lockdown in a phased manner and provided guidelines for the same. Wedding Affair had enlisted these guidelines earlier. Check them out here.
Furthermore, the hosts are to also maintain a detailed list of all the guests with their respective contacts. Also, they need to ensure that each attendee goes through thermal scanning before entering the event. Provision of hand sanitizers and face masks will also be compulsory at all such events to maintain safety. Thermal scanning will help with temperatures. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature. Therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature.
The wedding or event venue must also be hygienically maintained, the guidelines from the Karnataka government also stated. Also, another guideline followed that spitting in public places will strictly be prohibited. Although, it has always been the advice. A specified nodal person will oversee arrangements and coordination at the venue, the advisory also said. The advisory added that a list of those attending the marriage with contact details has to be maintained.
Weddings In Upcoming Time
Other states might also follow a similar set of guidelines as of Karnataka in the time to come. Furthermore, people themselves are cancelling their weddings and events owing to the paranoia of the virus. Another option that the couples are exploring is live-streaming their weddings with their family. The couple marries in a safe, closed space. The friends and family enjoy the wedding within the comfort of their homes. However, this doesn’t seem like an option ‘good enough’ for many. Indians have always desired a big fat wedding and it is difficult for them to give up on this dream.
Hence, one might see the rise of smaller and intimate weddings in the time to come. Plus, thermal checkups, masks and sanitisers are to remain a part of weddings. For the time to follow, this Karnataka model, with little alterations can work for many couples nationwide for a safer wedding.
