‘No hugs, group photos’: Bhopal draws up ground rules for weddings

The district administration in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal has listed a set of ground rules that it wants people to follow at weddings to minimise the risk of spread of coronavirus disease. The advisory, released by the district administration on Tuesday, asks guests at weddings in the city to opt for online gifts and bless the newly-wed from a distance.

“Avoid talking aloud and laughing and also talking in groups as these attract others to follow the suit. Avoid any contact like embracing and shaking hands with others”, the advisory issued by Bhopal district collector Avinash Lavania says.

“Collector has made an appeal to people attending the wedding functions to stay for a short while in marriage functions, park their vehicles on their own and carry their own face masks and sanitisers. They shouldn’t touch their face repeatedly and maintain a distance of at least six feet from others. They should also avoid using their mobile phones and keys repeatedly and sanitise the same properly. Instead of serving food (in plates) on their own by touching the spoon, they should ask others to do so. Instead of opening the return gift immediately, they should keep it in an open space for a few days”, the advisory says.

The administration has also asked people to avoid holding music programmes that involve a larger number of people.

“There is a custom regarding dance and singing songs with friends and relatives. In such a situation, people should avoid sharing the same microphone. People should not remove masks for photos and avoid group photographs. Return gifts should be packed and distributed by a particular person. Gifts should be kept at a place from where guests can lift their gift. Gift (shagun) should be sent electronically. If it’s not possible, then there should be a fixed point where gifts should be delivered. Such gifts should be opened after certain days,” says the advisory.

The government wants people to prefer an open and airy venue for the ceremony with arrangements for washing hands and sanitisation. Covid-19 guidelines should be displayed at various points. Covers of chairs, sofa etc should be changed regularly and the same should be disinfected. The wedding should be shown live on the internet and on screens at the venue to ensure that people don’t crowd at any spot in the venue.