Wedding couples seek clarity on Covid-19 guidelines



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Couples planning to get married in the coming days, weeks and months are calling for greater clarity from the government on coronavirus regulations.

They want clearer information on how many guests can attend and also on travel to and from counties, particularly Dublin, according to Naoise McNally, editor of the wedding website One Fab Day.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, he said couples “have a diabolical choice” after consulting the government’s Living With Covid plan.

He said the roadmap does not provide clarity on “what they should do and what they can do” in regards to the number of guests and whether they can travel between counties.

This is especially the case if you do not live in the same county where your wedding took place.

There is a “discrepancy”, Ms McNally said, between the government’s roadmap and the guidelines issued by Fáilte Ireland on the number of guests that can attend a wedding.

“Fáilte Ireland’s guidelines for the hospitality sector say 50 people can attend, including on-site staff, band, etc. But the Government’s roadmap stipulates 50 guests. This needs to be clarified quickly.”

McNally said couples living in Dublin, or those planning to get married in Dublin in the next few days, are particularly concerned, as stricter restrictions could be on the way.

Couples will be out of pocket if they have to cancel their wedding so close to the day it is due, McNally said.

She asked for more legal clarity on where the liability lies.

She said: “There is a significant financial burden to consider, especially if you plan to get married in the next three days and run the risk of leaving at the last minute.

“There needs to be more clarity from a legal point of view for couples and places.”

Ms. McNally continued: “The average Irish wedding costs € 28,000.

“If couples are not given clear and absolute guidelines on this, they are asked to make a diabolical decision, despite everyone’s respect for public health.”

The entire country is currently at Level 2 in the new framework for living with Covid-19. This allows 50 guests to a wedding.

Tier 3 lowers that cap to 25, while Tier 4 and 5 lower it further to just six guests.

Earlier today, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that he would “sadly” have to ask those planning to attend a wedding outside Dublin to reconsider this in light of the latest advice.

He said that a wedding ceremony was meant to share hope for a better future and asked people to think about how they would feel if the wedding could become a place where “disease could spread.”

Labor spokesman for Climate Action, Communications Networks and Transportation, Duncan Smith, said many of his constituents are confused about the new road map.

Dublin’s Fingal TD said a couple, with a small wedding planned outside the capital, had called him to see if he could move on.



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