A number of guidelines and precautionary measures have to be strictly followed in order to safely resume wedding parties, in line with the fourth phase of lifting Covid-19 restrictions, urged Dr Yousuf al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital at Hamad Medical Corporation.
"The Ministry of Public Health regulations in this regard include appointing security personnel to monitor the implementation of the guidelines, such as maintaining adequate social distancing among the attendees and ensuring all hygiene norms," he told local Arabic daily 'Arrayah'.
"It is important to closely regulate the entry and exit of the invited persons by ensuring all have the green Ehteraz status and body temperature lower than 38C," Dr al-Maslamani explained. The maximum number of attendees in the wedding celebration hall or tent should not exceed 40, calculating the capacity of the place on the basis of 9sqm per person.
It is very important to conduct Covid-19 tests for all the employees and workers at the wedding halls before resuming operations. The location should be properly sanitised, especially all surfaces and the areas that are often touched more frequently by the people.
The employees should wear facemasks and gloves at all times during their work. All attendees should wear facemasks all the time except when seated at the tables for having food and drinks. The invitees should avoid kissing, hugging, and shaking hands and it is not allowed to have a musical band inside the same hall.
The open buffet system is not allowed. Food should be only served on dishes at the tables, keeping a distance of at least 2m between tables. The maximum number of persons allowed at a single table is five.
Dr al-Maslamani stressed the importance of adequate ventilation that ensures the flow of fresh air as much as possible. Hand sanitisers should be kept at the entry points, tables, and all other relevant places, and encourage the invitees to use them. Toilets should be sanitised before, during, and after the event. It is necessary to abide by the recommended maximum of 30% of the total capacity of the place, he added.