Weddings in Zagreb cancelled due to COVID-19

ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) – Apart from public events, private functions in Croatia are also being cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, including weddings planned for the weekend, while couples who plan to tie the knot anyway can only have five guests, the general administration bureau of the Zagreb city government said on Friday.

Twelve couples were to have been married this weekend at four venues in Zagreb, while the number planning to marry next weekend is not known.

The National Civil Protection Authority has recommend that gatherings be limited to five people and that they maintain a distance of two metres in closed premises, a city official told Hina.

Couples are also expected to adhere to hygiene instructions and wash their hands with disinfectant on entering closed premises, all windows in the wedding chamber have to be open and the bride and groom have to wear gloves while their marriage certificates will be presented to them in files that are not plastic.

As far as wedding parties are concerned, they cannot be held in restaurants as all restaurants are closed.

Bishops: Apart from Masses, weddings cancelled too

As far as religious weddings are concerned, the Croatian Conference of Bishops (HBK) on Thursday issued temporary measures whereby all Masses, sacraments, popular customs, parish celebrations and other events are cancelled until further notice both indoors and outdoors.

That also refers to marriages, the head of HBK’s press office Zvonimir Ancic confirmed. It is not possible for a wedding ceremony to be conducted in a church with fewer guests as that too is considered a gathering, he stressed.

“Of course, there are some people whose marriage ceremonies are scheduled for this and next month. In Lent there are hardly any, however, several are scheduled for the first weekend after Easter, that is Saturday, 18 April and we’ve had enquiries about that,” said Ancic.

At the moment marriages are cancelled until further notice and it is difficult to estimate how long that will last, he added.