Even though social distancing and self-isolation have become a norm due to the coronavirus outbreak, a couple in Turkey still managed to find a way to tie the knot.
While the wedding industry is reeling from the effects of canceled and postponed weddings, a Turkish man and Russian woman took precautions and despite everything were pronounced husband and wife.
Witnesses, a marriage registrar and four guests attended the small wedding ceremony of Murat Günarslan and Oksana Bats in Antalya’s Konyaaltı Municipal Marriage Office.
Before the wedding ceremony, the temperature of the bride, groom and their relatives who came to the hall was taken. The participants of the ceremony followed the 1.5-meter social distance rule and greeted each other from far.
Mask, gloves and disinfectant gifts were presented to the couple during the wedding ceremony.
The groom, Murat Günarslan, said many of his friends, as well as his relatives, could not attend the ceremony due to the coronavirus epidemic.
"We took all the precautions; we measured the fever of our relatives who came to the hall and provided hand hygiene. This is the first time in our lives we received masks and gloves as a gift. It was a very interesting experience,” he said.
The bride, Oksana Bats, said she wasn’t surprised by the gifts amid the outbreak that has taken the world by storm.
Recently, the Interior Ministry ordered the nationwide closure of almost all places of social gathering, including cafes, cinemas, gyms and wedding halls. The ministry earlier ordered all bars, discos and nightclubs in all provinces to be closed as well.
