A groom, who arrived in Kerala from China for his wedding two weeks ago, had to postpone the ceremony on the insistence of health authorities as the youth is presently under home quarantine for the novel coronavirus.
The marriage had been scheduled for Tuesday at Kadangode grama panchayat in Thrissur district. However, panchayat sources said they learnt about the proposed ceremony only a day before the wedding. "We came to know about the wedding on February 3. The health inspector immediately contacted the District Medical Officer (DMO) and we sent a letter to Deputy Director. Following the intervention of the officials, the family postponed the wedding," the sources said.
The youth, who is working as an accountant in Yiwu, about 1500 km from Wuhan, had reached Kochi airport on January 19.
The groom was told by the health authorities that he cannot get married as part of the health protocol of the government, 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.
The family, however, conducted a small ceremony. A local health official said a reception was held in the evening, although 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 (feast) 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, the panchayat sources said.
On Sunday, when the second case was confirmed, Health Minister KK Shailaja had asked families of those who return from the virus-affected regions to postpone marriages to prevent a possible outbreak of the disease in the state.
Three Kerala students from Wuhan university have been tested positive for the coronavirus, which has so far claimed 490 lives in China.
Apart from the three positive cases from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kasaragod districts, no fresh cases have been reported, the government said on Tuesday night.
At least 2,321 people are under observation at home and 100 at isolation wards at various hospitals across the state.