Mysore/Mysuru: While the State and Union Governments have released guidelines on how to conduct marriages in COVID times limiting the number of attendees to 50 and imposing restrictions like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, even wedding managers and wedding venue hosts are gearing up to face a new reality and are modifying their venues to suit the new scenario.

At a time when many traditional wedding halls and choultries are fretting over loss in business due to new restrictions, there are others who are seeing small weddings as an opportunity and are remodelling their business modules like Hotel Siddhartha, owned by Siddhartha Group. The Hotel marriage hall has been converted into a fully secure wedding venue to cater to small weddings with many precautionary measures.

The Hotel Management has adopted effective measures to stop the spread of virus like social distancing, mandatory use of masks and sanitisers. The marriage hall is located on the fourth floor of the Hotel and the precautionary measures begin first before one steps into a lift. Toothpicks are used to press the lift button and only three persons are permitted to go in the lift at any given time.

As guests enter the marriage hall on the fourth floor, the Hotel staff are ready with thermal scanners to check the forehead temperature and if any guest shows symptoms of cold and fever, entry is denied. If any guest shows such symptoms, an in-house quarantine facility is available in the Hotel itself and medical help will be extended to such people.

Masks and sanitisers are readily available here if any guest forgets to wear masks. The seating arrangements have been made in such a way that social distancing is strictly followed. The wedding hall is spacious and has good ventilation and the dining hall next to the hall too is designed as per the Government guidelines. Seating arrangements here too follows social distancing norms. After food, individual fingerbowls are supplied to guests so that they do not crowd the hand-wash area.

Utmost care is ensured when the food is served where the Hotel staff is covered with face mask, gloves, shoes, face shield and headcover. Representatives from the Hotel Management will be present at the venue to ensure that rules are strictly followed and guidelines are adhered to.

As per guidelines, people above 65 years of age and children below 10 years and pregnant women are not allowed and notice boards have been displayed. The wedding stage too can be redesigned by the wedding party to suit their requirements. Those who book the hall are told about these guidelines and facilities and only those wedding parties who agree to the conditions are given permission to conduct ceremonies here.

The facilities, precautionary measures and arrangements were demonstrated by P.V. Giri, who owns Siddhartha Group, to media persons and officials from the Mysuru City Corporation through a detailed power-point presentation yesterday. Mayor Tasneem, MCC Health Standing Committee Chairman Gopi, Health Officer Dr. D.G. Nagaraju and others were present.

Commenting on the initiatives taken at the Hotel, Dr. Nagaraju appreciated the Siddhartha Group for ensuring a virus-free atmosphere at a place where people gather for a wedding. “People can fearlessly attend the event here and the MCC too will create awareness regarding this,” he said.