Odisha lockdown: Wedding feast banned, invitees reduced

Bhubaneswar: As a part of extension of the lockdown in Odisha till 5 am of June 1 due to the second wave of COVID-19, the state government today prohibited wedding feasts and reduced the permissible number of attendees to 25. Earlier, it was 50.

The permissible number of participants in thread ceremony/ funerals/ last rites has been limited to 20.

Only take away food shall be allowed for the guests during the above mentioned events.

“Marriages shall be permitted, with approval from local authorities, with not more than 25 persons and in case of thread ceremony Bratopanayan, funerals and last rites, the number of persons participating shall not be more than 20 (for the entire event) including hosts, guests, priests and catering and other support staff with adherence of COVID-19 safety protocols,” an official notification of the state government said.

“Under no circumstances, the number of participants shall exceed the ceiling for the entire event. Marriage, funeral and last rites related gatherings shall be conducted as per the Government guidelines. Thread ceremony/ bratopanayan and related rituals shall be celebrated only in the family. No outside guest shall be invited. No feast shall be served in the function,” the notification said.

“In case of all these functions, no community feast shall be organised nor any food shall be served in the venue. Only take away food shall be allowed to the guests,” it added.