Staff Report

It is reported that a groom was recently arrested in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) for hosting a wedding party without following the SOPs and safety steps, the Police has said.

It is stated that an Asian man had posted his wedding reception videos on social media platform, mentioning how he and his wedding guests violated the COVID-19 protocols during the wedding celebrations at a banquet hall in RAK, the authorities have said. The Asian man, the groom, has been referred to the the emergency, crises, and disasters sector at the Federal Public Prosecution for further legal action.

The RAK Police has repeated the warning mentioning that strict legal action shall be taken against the violators of anti-coronavirus steps.

Earlier in the week, the RAK’s Department of Economic Department issued an order to a wedding hall for shutdown and also slapped the wedding hall with a huge fine for violation and not observing the SOPs set in place for the fight to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus in the Emirate as well as in the country.

It is also reported that a couple tied the knot at the wedding hall without taking the mandatory permits, sources said. At the same time they have also failed to follow the SOPs like social distancing and using face masks all the time.

Earlier, the wedding places in RAK were permitted to restart operations with strict safety steps. It was directed that all staff members must be subjected to coronavirus screening and their temperature must be checked on regular basis. It was also ordered that anyone with fever or respiratory issues shall not be allowed entry in the premises. It was also part of the SOPs that there would be limit of the number of guests, wearing face masks mandator and keeping advised distance between tables and attendees was also mandatory.

In the UAE, authorities have been cracking down on those who are not following the guidelines after a record 1,007 coronavirus cases in a single day on September 12, it was the highest daily count since the pandemic started.

It is also reported that in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a groom, his father and the father of the bride have been referred to the prosecution for conducting a wedding reception at their home.

During a last week news briefing, a top government official had said that the cases had recorded a five-fold jump since August 10 – and a worrying 88 per cent of the surge had been attributed to large gatherings such as weddings, other parties and also meetings for condolences.