Corona Impact in AP: Marriages might be made in heaven, but wedding permission a Herculean task

Visakhapatnam: Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, wedding planners are left with no other choice than to postpone the weddings.

From the first lockdown that began on March 25, the marriage parties have put the 'muhurat' dates on hold only to extend it further even during unlock period for apparent reasons.

The brides and the bridegrooms who have been looking forward enthusiastically for the 'unlock' are still not able to zero in on their big fat wedding date.

From the initial three Covid-19 cases as on March 23, the positive cases rose to 5,165 in Visakhapatnam district as on July 23. Given the alarming spike in corona cases, the marriage parties continue to either postpone the wedding to a later date or cancel it.

Lucky are those who entered into the wedlock before March 25 as the wedding planners now find it hard to fix a date, especially when the situation turned from bad to worse. With the State government tightening the screws further, only 20 people can attend a wedding as per the new guidelines.

Earlier, the once-in-a-lifetime event was performed on a grand scale, ensuring maximum participation. From making a list of invitees to visiting places, booking the caterers to finalising a wedding destination, indulging in wedding refinery to charting out an elaborate spread, the buzz used to commence a month in advance.

But now, it paints a picture of contrast as the marriage parties have to compromise on various aspects amid the rules and regulations. "Apart from the bride and the groom, those who plan to attend the wedding have to submit a Covid-free certificate at the Collectorate.

Invitees should bring their Aadhaar card and marriage parties should submit a self-declaration that they abide by the government guidelines to perform the marriage," says a tahsildar, on condition of anonymity.

Currently, those having coronavirus symptoms have to wait for hours in the long queues to get their swab tests done. In a majority of cases, the results would take a few days.

Given the heavy rush, those attending the wedding rituals feel reluctant to get the swab test done as they feel that there is a higher possibility of getting infected while waiting for the test. "Instead of going through such an ordeal to attend a wedding, we prefer to stay at home as even if we go for the swab test, we are not sure that we will come out safe as we have to be in the crowd for hours long," says V Visweswara Rao, an advocate.

After following all the procedures, there is no guarantee that the place is free from registering any fresh cases. "People are free to queue up before a wine shop. However, to perform an auspicious event like wedding, so many restrictions should be followed which turn out to be a deterrent factor for the marriage parties," rues P Madhusudan Rao, a father of a bride.

Amid the pandemic, many opine that there is a need to ease the marriage guidelines and make it less complicated for the marriage parties.