PANAJI: Most wedding hall owners find the government’s order to permit guests who are doubly vaccinated or who carry Covid negative test report, unfeasible.
The vaccination certificates don’t carry the photograph of the beneficiary making it difficult for verification, one wedding venue owner told TOI.
“The onus cannot be on us to check. Only the family hosting the reception will know their guests. The responsibility should be theirs. Ours are open air venues and not like discos or clubs with one entry gate. It’s impossible for us to check and verify hundreds of vaccination certificates. The guests have not been invited by us but by the party hosting the wedding,” the venue owner from South Goa told TOI.
In addition to the wedding guests, the wedding venues are abuzz with caterers, waiters, decorators, band members and various people assisting in the setup.
Many weddings taking place this season are those that were postponed from last year and most wedding halls have already gotten their staff, from catering right up to security personnel, all vaccinated but say they cannot vouch for the authenticity of vaccination certificates by guests or even turn them away.
The order issued on December 29 makes it mandatory for owners, manager, licensee and organiser of such premises/ functions to make arrangements for verification and permit only fully vaccinated persons possessing vaccination certificate of both doses issued through Cowin portal provided 15 days have elapsed or persons who carry Covid negative test report for the test conducted within 24 hours of entry.
A wedding hall owner in North Goa says a lay person cannot be an authority to decide on the authenticity of a vaccination certificate and that the government should have thought about implementation when issuing this order.
Some halls are yet to decide on how to go about implementing it and whether they should bother at all. Others fear they could face repercussions if they don’t and say they will try to insist on it. Some have already sent out messages to those who have booked tickets for the new years parties to carry their vaccination certificate with them.
In South Goa, wedding venue owners are not pleased about the blame on spread of Covid being put on them and are questioning the government’s restriction free entry for tourists. “Nobody is talking about elections, which are the bigger crowdpuller. Are there any checks happening on those attending public meetings. Why worry about weddings in South Goa when the government should be focusing on North Goa flooded with tourists which is a time bomb ticking,” a South Goa wedding venue operator said.
“If almost all Goans are double vaccinated, then who is bringing in the virus? Beaches and clubs are jam-packed. The government is clamping down on private venues and making us implement rules but who will implement rules in public places?” another wedding hall owner asked.
After the devastating second wave, wedding stakeholders say the government should have learnt lessons and put restrictions on entry of tourists at the borders right from October itself.
The order also applies to entry to places of amusement including spas, massage parlours, restaurants, pubs, bars, halls, auditoriums, gyms, cinema halls, river cruises, waterparks, entertainment parks etc.
