Indian Couple Forced to Marry in Full PPE After Testing Positive on Wedding Day

The couple, whose names were not revealed, held the ceremony at the courtyard of a quarantine center in Baran, Rajasthan on Sunday, according to Reuters.

 

“We consulted with the families and they agreed to get married in the quarantine center without any elaborate rituals,” health official Rajendra Meena said.

Health officials quickly stopped the bride from reaching the venue after her test results came back positive, the DPA reported. The bride and her family were instructed to head to the COVID-19 center instead.

“The families were in a dilemma, but insisted that, according to customs, they had to go ahead with the wedding since some initial rituals were done. Respecting their sentiments, the administration gave the approval for the marriage at the centre with all necessary checks,” Sheikh Arif, a health official from the area, said.

As a precaution, three regional officers attended the event to ensure the ceremony was following “full COVID-19 protocol.” Only a limited number of people were invited to their wedding day, including a priest and three close relatives, who were all made to wear PPE provided by the health authorities.

Besides the suit, health authorities also helped set up a small canopy outside the center for the ceremony.

“We were really tense but managed to conduct this unusual marriage in times of Covid,” Arif said. “The bride and her mother, who also tested positive, are now quarantined at the centre. We will do follow-up tests and it is only when she (bride) gets a negative Covid-19 report that we will release her and she can go to her husband’s place.”

India is currently the second country in the world with the highest COVID-19 cases at 9.7 million next to the 15.3 million in the U.S., according to Worldometers.

Featured Image Screenshots via Reuters