Covid Blues: 25 Lakh Weddings Between Nov14-Dec13

The big fat Indian weddings which have been procrastinating for quite some time now due to the coronavirus pandemic, are likely to happen in the next two months. There will be an estimated 25 lakh weddings in just one month between 14 November-13 December.

Amid Covid blues, the estimation was pegged by a traders association Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and the weddings are likely to generate business worth Rs 3 lakh crore. Telangana and Andhra are at high risk of a possible spike in covid cases in the next 30 days as limited muhurats after Diwali and unavailability of auspicious days in January are forcing prospective brides and grooms to tie nuptial knots in a hurry.

The majority of families are performing marriages of their children following Corona protocol fearing the third wave in the coming days. But due to suffocated banquet halls in the next few days, one might certainly expect a rapid spread of the deadly virus. The lockdown restrictions during the second wave of Covid-19 prevented families from performing weddings despite the availability of auspicious muhurats.

According to CAIT, banquet halls, hotels, resorts, farmhouses and such are fully prepared and booked across the country, including TS and AP. Several states have allowed 250 people at weddings. In Delhi, the number has been capped at 200 and in Mumbai, venues are allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Rajasthan is allowing 200 guests.

In conclusion, the third wave isn’t just a hyped topic but actually impending in the country as people are flocking to markets in numbers in the name of wedding and festival shoppings. Moreover, amid all the swansong of 100 crore vaccinations, the real picture is that a good chunk of the population is still not vaccinated, and that can inflict severe damage while bringing the third wave with itself.