Couples may get married at more venues but must adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines: Desmond Lee

SINGAPORE — From Friday (June 19), couples will be allowed to get married at more venues, including at home, at places of worship or in restaurants and function rooms that cater to small gatherings, but the health and safety of the participants should not be compromised.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development, said in a Facebook post on Monday that the solemnisation should be done with the “necessary precautionary measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety”.

There will be a limit on the number of attendees to 10 people — excluding the solemniser for at-home solemnisations and those taking place at the Registry of Marriages (ROM) and Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) as well as other designated premises such as at mosques.

The limit for other venues will be up to 20 people, excluding the solemniser, or the safe capacity of the venue, whichever is lower, Mr Lee said.

He reminded the public that couples and venue operators will have to adhere to the safe management guidelines in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Mr Lee noted that since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, many couples have been anxious over the uncertainties surrounding what would be permitted at their wedding.

Since the circuit breaker restricting activities ended on June 1, in-person solemnisations for Muslim weddings were allowed at the ROMM building.

From Monday, ROM can perform in-house solemnisations at the National Museum of Singapore, while ROMM continues to conduct Muslim solemnisations on its premises.

“The additional space at the museum also allowed ROM to conduct more solemnisations while safeguarding public safety,” Mr Lee said.

Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of Social and Family Development, said previously that the National Museum had agreed to open up part of its premises to ROM to conduct in-person solemnisations, to give more room to ensure the safety of the couples and their guests.

Mr Lee said that administrative functions, such as the verification of documents and statutory declaration for civil and Muslim marriages, will continue to be done at the building that ROM and ROMM share. This is to reduce the density of visitors in the building.

The option to allow civil and Muslim marriage solemnisations and registrations to be conducted through video link — which was introduced last month — will remain open to couples.

“This (has) helped couples to proceed with their marriage plans, even during the circuit breaker period,” Mr Lee noted.

He understands the couples’ wishes to have their family and friends celebrate the important milestone with them, but everyone must continue to remain vigilant for the sake of their loved ones, especially the seniors, he said.

“I encourage more to use video-link solemnisations so (that) seniors and elderly in the family can join in the celebrations safely. Let us continue to work together for the health and safety of all Singaporeans.”

On Monday, the Government announced that all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen their physical outlets from Friday onwards as Singapore moves into the second phase of lifting restrictions on activities.

Schools will also gradually increase the number of students who can go back to campus for face-to-face lessons. By June 29, students from all levels will return to school daily.