A bride and groom have been arrested by police this week, along with 50 of their guests and a pastor, for going ahead with their wedding ceremony despite the recent lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.
This woman was recently filmed telling her grandfather than she'd gotten engaged through a window due to the quarantine:According to a report by The Metro, the incident in question took place in Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, after an anonymous tip led police to the venue. Footage of armed policemen ushering the perpetrators into a van was later shared by the police on Facebook, in a bid to deter other people from social gatherings.
On Facebook, a police spokesperson wrote: "[The arrests] will see the about-to-be newlyweds spending their honeymoon under stringent bail conditions. Amongst the arrested, is the Pastor who was officiating in the matrimony."
They added: "All who attended the wedding were taken to eMpangeni Police Station for their cases to be registered and for bail arrangements. Their cases will be dealt with after the lockdown period. They are charged for contravening amongst others the National Disaster Act and defying the Lockdown Regulations."
Meanwhile, Cllr Mduduzi Mhlongo, mayor of the Umhlathuze Municipality, stated: "We are appealing to everyone to take this virus seriously and work with [the] government to clamp it down before it ravages the whole nation. The number of people being infected is rising sharply and now we are beginning to see people dying in our country like in the other countries of the world."
He added: "The lockdown by [the] government is aimed at stopping the spread and to assist people not to be exposed to the virus by sitting at home for the duration of the lockdown. We must commend all those citizens who are abiding with the rules and encourage them to do so until the end. We believe this is for our own health and survival."
We are urging all of our readers to adhere to the advice from their respective governments and medical bodies, and practice social distancing and self-isolation where required. Together, we will beat this.
