Desi weddings are generally known for being grandeur and having outlandish month-long celebrations. People from all around the world are also invited to see off two newlyweds. Plans are made a year in advance and all the bookings are taken care of well in advance.
Due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, the government took an initiative to implement Section 144 across the nation. Banning all public gatherings in hotels, malls, wedding halls, and banquets. Under the emergency, people are not allowed to move forward with their wedding goals.
All restaurants, hotels, beauty parlors, hair dressers, wedding halls have been closed for 15 days henceforth both in urban & rural areas: CM KP Mahmood Khan https://t.co/cBWpizYrFV #CoronavirusPandemic #CoronaVirusUpdates #COVID19 #Covid_19PH #StaySafeStayHome #CoronaInPakistan
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) March 18, 2020
No Wedding Shenanigans
During this time, most weddings are either getting postponed or held at private locations. A similar incident happened when a family from Multan arrived in Karachi on 14th March 2020. They soon realized that the wedding could not take place in a hall they booked.
Much like all the other families, they had two options; Either postpone it or move forward with the wedding in a private location.
We’ve traveled all the way from Multan, so we’ll take the bride with us on our way back.
The family decided to arrange the wedding party at the bride’s home. The number of guests remained the same, hence cramming up a small Karachi home.
You can see, it’s just a small house. And it’s full of guests. But we have got another arrangement. Had the function been in a wedding hall, we could at least stand away from each other. You know it’s dangerous to be in close proximity these days.
Guests were gathered on the roof of the bride’s and her neighbors’ houses, and on the streets.
Pakistan is taking coronavirus wayyy too lightly. I am watching social media posts of wedding dances, restaurants sightings, families walking in parks etc. This is not a good time to give a jaddo ki jhappi to Pinky khala. Excuse your helpers. Isolate yourselves. Stay home.
— Kanza Javed کنزا جاويد (@KanzaJaved) March 17, 2020
A Doctor’s Recommendations
Dr. Syed Adnan Khursheed says people don’t understand the severity of the matter. He says in such cluttered gatherings, the chances of a virus being spread are higher.
Just one droplet coming out of an infected person’s mouth or nose can spread Coronavirus to others.
There are prophetic traditions, such as the ones about plague, which call for practising what is being now termed as social distancing in the wake of a virus outbreak.
He says the government ban on public gatherings might create some problems but the ban is in place for the safety of the public and it is a good start towards combating the problem.
Both as a doctor by profession and a student of religion, it is my humble message to all citizens that they must take precautionary measures against the Coronavirus threat.
Instead of attending marriages in houses and potentially creating high chances of spreading the virus, they should try staying home as much as possible and practise social distancing.
According to Dr. Khursheed, people with big houses who are renting it out for such events is the worse thing they can do right now.
Another Medical Opinion
Dr. Safiuddin Siddiqui, the CEO of an education network, says that \this is a global war and the enemy is likely to be present anywhere around us.\
People who are not refraining from holding public events are potentially causing harm to the whole nation.
The virus outbreak has exponential growth. The number of victims can soar from hundreds to hundreds of thousands in no time.
According to the doctor, this virus has an incubation period of 27 days when compared to other viruses’ 3-day incubation period, which is why caution must be taken.
It means a person who has contracted the coronavirus may not show any symptoms for days but the victim can still infect people in close contact with them.
He explained the phases of the coronavirus spread. They’re divided into the following 5 phases:
- Phase 1: when epidemiologists freak out “while no one else listens”
- Phase 2: health care professionals freak out “while no one else listens”
- Phase 3: empathetic people freak out “while no one else listens”
- Phase 4: government officials freak out
- Phase 5: the virus spreads far and wide.
We have reached the fourth phase. It’s time we took strict precautionary measures before we, God forbid, make it to the last phase.
The doctor advises people to refrain from attending large gatherings and to postpone their wedding plans. He says there’s also an option to rearrange the wedding plans and organize a party with a smaller group of guests.
Do you think desi weddings should be avoided at all costs, given the present situation? Or do you reckon we don’t change a thing about our way of celebrating weddings, no matter what?
Let us know!
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