One bride from Sydney is wondering if the best way to keep her guests safe is to have a table set aside for those who are unvaccinated.
While many people postponed weddings planned over the past two years amid the pandemic, as vaccines became available, some people have decided to reschedule their nuptials.
A survey conducted by The Knot talked to 7,600 couples who planned to have a wedding in 2020. Out of all those weddings, 96 percent of them had to be modified in some capacity due to COVID-19.
Those who did choose to carry on with a celebration of some kind did so in a more intimate fashion. The survey found that “approximately half of the wedding receptions during COVID-19 had 50 people or less attending, with nearly a quarter having less than 25 guests.”
Recently, a bride only identified by her first name, Heidi, called into the radio show Kyle and Jackie-O on KIIS 106.5 in Australia asking for advice on what to do for her upcoming March 2022 nuptials.
“I’m thinking do I have a special ‘anti-vax table’ so all the other guests are a little bit more at ease with having people that aren’t vaccinated there – or do I not worry about it?” Heidi asked the two radio hosts, according to The Independent.
In New South Wales (NSW), which includes Sydney, current restrictions say that unvaccinated individuals or not fully vaccinated are only allowed to attend “a small wedding.”
A “small wedding” is described as a wedding with 11 people in attendance — total. This means those getting married, the person officiating, two witnesses, someone to record the service and then five extra guests. The government website states while these unvaccinated guests are eating and drinking they must be seated, they are allowed to dance.
A bride in Sydney asked two radio hosts if she should have an “anti-vax” table at her wedding for those who are unvaccinated. Chairs are set up for a wedding at Clark Park in North Sydney on March 21, 2020 in Sydney, Australia after the prime minister introduced new protective measures against COVID-19.
James D. Morgan/Getty Images
According to The Independent, Kyle told the bride that those who are vaccinated will be protected and those who aren’t have “chosen not to do it for whatever reason, that’s fine, it’s their own choice.”
Jackie says that separating the guests while they dine won’t do much as everyone will be mingling otherwise. Both hosts agreed that asking unvaccinated guests to take a COVID-19 test before the event would be “reasonable.”
As of November 28, all vaccinated international travelers arriving into NSW must get a PCR (nose and throat) test no later than 24 hours after their arrival. They must also travel “the most practicable direct route” to self-isolate for 72 hours or until they receive their negative COVID result, whichever is later according to the NSW government site.
Those arriving from countries of concern, which include eight nations in Africa, must receive a PCR test and isolate for 14 days regardless of vaccination status.
