Kerala: With groom in quarantine, wedding rituals postponed

THRISSUR

: A man who arrived in Kerala from China for his wedding two weeks ago had to postpone the ceremony on the insistence of health authorities as he is presently under home quarantine for the novel coronavirus.


The marriage had been scheduled for Tuesday at

Kadangode

grama panchayat here.

Panchayat sources said they came to hear about the ceremony only a day before the wedding. “The health inspector immediately contacted the district medical officer (DMO) and we sent a letter to the deputy director. Following the intervention of officials, the family postponed the wedding,” the sources said.

The youth, an accountant in Yiwu, about 1,500km from

Wuhan

, had reached Kochi airport on January 19.

The groom was told by authorities that he cannot get married as part of the state's health protocol, which stipulates that those returning from China have to strictly report to the health authorities and quarantine themselves for a 28-day period at home, the sources said.

A local health official said a reception was held in the evening, in which the groom did not participate.

The bride was garlanded by the groom’s mother and brought to the hall before the guests and a traditional ‘sadya’ was arranged for the guests.

Two medical students, a businessman and a man working in China were among those from the panchayat who had recently returned to the state, panchayat sources said.