Coronavirus chaos as Church says weddings will be limited to just 5 people during pandemic
THE number of people attending church weddings during the coronavirus crisis should be limited to the legal minimum of five, the Church of England said today.
The people attending a wedding should only include the priest, the bride and groom and two witnesses.
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In a statement released today, the new advice said that the ceremonies will have to be "very significantly scaled back" to keep in line with social distancing advised during the coronavirus crisis.
Instead, loved up couples should stream their wedding, or even postpone their big day.
It is unclear how long the advice will last for, however it appeared to suggest the guidance would last as long as the coronavirus crisis continues.
It comes as...
- Sweeping new laws were revealed that will allow police to arrest sick people and shut down airports
- The death toll in the UK today hit 137 with more than 2,600 cases
- No10 insisted there is 'zero chance' of banning London travel
- Schools will be closed from Friday - with confusion over the shutdown
- Ikea announced it would be closing all 22 UK stores from Thursday night
The Church of England added the advice should also be considered for baptisms, with the numbers limited only to the individual, their parents, godparents and the minister.
The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, said: "Couples and parents, friends and families will have been planning for months, even years for their special moment, whether a wedding or a christening.
"Now it can go ahead – but with only the minimum required in attendance. You may need to cancel or postpone.
"Whatever decision is made, God’s love and blessing will still surround all those who would have been there that day.
"Prayers will still be offered, and there will be a special day to look forward to in the future.
"We encourage those who would have been there to hold couples and families in their prayers, and pray that everyone will know God’s love is holding them at this time."
It comes after Princess Beatrice was forced to scale back her own May wedding - having planned to celebrate her big day at Buckingham Palace.
Does your wedding insurance cover coronavirus cancellations and can you get a refund?
If in the unlikely circumstance that weddings were banned in the UK then it would depend on your policy.
You will need to check the terms and conditions and wording of your policy document.
Insurance would need to have been taken out to cover a booking before any lockdown or cancellation of public events was imposed.
Most policies would only pay out if the venue is closed by the relevant authority or due to the death, injury or sickness of a close relative.
A close relative is your partner, parent, parent-in-law, child, grandparent, grandchild or siblings.
What about abroad?
If your wedding is abroad then you will only be able to claim for a refund if it’s in an area where the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has imposed a ban on travel.
This should now include Italy now that the FCO is advising against all but essential travel to the country.
You should be able to get a refund on your flights from your airline.
Insurance should cover you for venue and accommodation cancellations - but it depends on your policy.
Other couples have also been forced to cancel their weddings due to the global pandemic.
Mario Falcone and fiancée Becky Miesner had to postpone their big day for the second time - having delayed their initial date after Becky fell pregnant.
Vanderpump Rules star Jax Taylor also revealed his costar Lala Kent and her fiancé Randall Emmett have called off their wedding.
It comes as increasingly drastic measures are put in place across the UK to tackle coronavirus.
Sweeping new laws were today revealed with ministers announced powers to arrest sick people and even shut down airports.
Boris Johnson will try and push through the emergency legislation in the next few days to give him the powers to do whatever it takes to tackle the spread of the deadly bug.
Schools will shut from Friday, with exams cancelled.
Troops are not expected to deployed on the streets to ensure public order, either, the PM's spokesperson stressed.
However, London's transport network is expected to be scaled back in the coming days, and 40 stations are set to close for the meantime.
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It comes as the UK death toll today hit 137, with more than 2,000 cases recorded so far.
A 47-year-old was today the youngest life claimed in the past 24 hours by the deadly virus with 16 of the latest deaths recorded in London alone.
Across the globe, the number of coronavirus cases surged past 200,000.