A 300-person wedding in Washington State has been linked to dozens of coronavirus cases and the deaths of seven care home residents in the area, none of whom attended the wedding.
A reported seven care home residents, aged between 70 and 90, have died after staff members at the facility attended the November 7 wedding.
At the time the wedding was held, indoor ceremonies in Washington State were limited to 50 people.
In an announcement, the Grant County Health District explained that residents were staying at three care homes in Grant County, Washington, and all seven had underlying health conditions. There were also three other deaths not associated with the Long Term Care Facilities
“Our investigations have determined that there were long term care staff who tested positive for COVID-19 who attended the large wedding in Ritzville, WA reported on November 16. Because staff in these facilities care for entire units, direct contact with associated patients is not known. Our most vulnerable community members — elderly, immunocompromised, and those with chronic conditions — are especially at risk of complications due to a COVID-19 infection and we must continue to take measures to protect them from this disease.
“The best way to do that is by staying home as much as possible. Your choice to gather with those outside your household could lead to additional cases of COVID-19 and even death. Please protect those you love by staying home,” they concluded.
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In a story entirely fitting for 2020, a bride would not let her positive COVID-19 diagnosis stop her from getting married.
California couple Lauren (29) and Patrick Delgado (27) have been engaged since May 2019, and had already downscaled their big day due to the pandemic. They changed their venue and guest list three times, and took it in their stride as they were excited to marry. However, things took a turn for the worse when Lauren tested positive for COVID-19 only five days before their wedding.
“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” Lauren told NBC News. “”I was really saddened because everything we had planned was already getting cancelled.”
Since their marriage license was scheduled to expire the day after their wedding, the pair decided to go ahead with their big day while Lauren quarantined at her mother’s house.
Their November 21 wedding was so impromptu that Lauren didn’t even have enough time to pick up her wedding dress, and instead just wore a white dress straight from her closet.
Patrick stood outside the home as Lauren said her vows from her second floor bedroom window. Their 10 guests, who had all tested negative, wore face masks and stood socially distanced outside Lauren’s window or watched from their parked cars to enjoy the 45-minute ceremony.
In place of holding hands, the pair held each end of a flower-decorated ribbon as they exchanged their vows.
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Posted by Jesscaste Photography on Sunday, 22 November 2020
“It was the most 2020 wedding I have ever shot during Covid-19,” said Jessica Jackson, the wedding photographer.
“I was just so happy and excited to be surrounded by my closest loved ones there,” Lauren added. “It wasn’t about a big wedding, it was just about celebrating our love and life together.”
After the ceremony, Patrick went to his home while Lauren stayed at her mother’s house to continue her quarantine. They ended their evening by watching the Netflix movie ‘Holidate’ and eating dinner separately over FaceTime
“It’s almost like a funny story we’ll one day tell our children,” Delgado said. “Like, we couldn’t sleep in the same bed the same day we got married.”
Lauren hopes to have a bigger ceremony with their extended families and friends some day in the future, when it is completely safe to do so.
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South Africa will be getting more regional courts to adjudicate civil disputes in December. This increase will make it easier for people to get divorced.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola announced that changes to the Magistrates Court Act will take effect from December 1, 2020. Every regional court has been appointed as a place for the holding of a civil court.
Until recently, regional courts were reserved for more serious criminal offenses and civil disputes, like divorce matters. This change will make it easier for people to access civil law services closer to where they live.
“Up until the end of November only a few of the regional courts could hear civil matters,” said the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services on Tuesday, December 1. “Prior to this change being made, people often had to travel long distances, and at great expense, to litigate and be able to access civil law services offered by the regional courts, including having their applications for divorce heard.”
More seats have been appointed, making it easier for people to take divorce matters and civil disputes to court nearer to their homes.
“Many of the seats are in the historically Black areas and rural villages. As an example, in the former Transkei area of the Eastern Cape, persons would have had to travel to Mthatha for their divorces to be heard. With the new changes, they can now go to any of the 25 Regional Courts spread around the region. There are, in total, 72 proclaimed civil regional court seats across the Eastern Cape province,” added the Ministry.
In the Southern Cape, people previously had to travel to George to get divorced. Now, they can travel to Heidelberg, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay, Riversdale, Swellendam, Thembalethu or Uniondale to access civil law services.
The Western Cape has 32 seats to serve the population.
“Regional courts are vital to ensure access to justice. Enhancing access to justice means taking the courts closer to the people which, in turn, minimizes costs and inconvenience when matters are to be heard. By establishing these civil seats, we are taking justice to the doorsteps of peoples’ homesteads,” said the Minister.
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If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we can all actually manage going a little smaller and a little closer to home. These celebrities have shown us how a wedding doesn’t have to be lavish to be beautiful or special.
These “minimonies” or micro-weddings had all the love, even with a smaller ceremony.
Bindi Irwin
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The daughter of legendary Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin married her fiance Chandler Powell at a small ceremony at the Australia Zoo gardens.
The couple had to change their plans last minute as COVID-19 made the larger ceremony impossible. Irwin explained that her mother helped her get ready, her brother walked her down the aisle and they all lit a candle in her father’s memory.
Raven Symone
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The Disney star and her fiance got married in a small backyard ceremony. Miranda Pearman-Maday and Symone wore jumpsuits and the food and ceremony was held in actress Debbie Allen’s garden.
Rather than rings, the two got matching tattoos on their fingers.
Princess Beatrice
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Royal weddings are usually significant and grand affairs. Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor. This was a much more toned-down version than they had planned but they pulled it off perfectly.
Princess Beatrice did get the fan fare, as many fawned over her beautiful dress which was an updated loan from her grandmother.
Lily Allen
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Lily Allen married Stranger Things actor David Harbour in one of the most classic minimonies of all time, the Vegas wedding. Officiated by an Elvis impersonator, the wedding was a low-key affair which was followed by a dinner at In-N-Out Burger.
Not all of the affair was so cheap, Allen wore a Christian Dior mini dress that cost a pretty penny.
Tove Lo
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Swedish musician Tove Lo married Charlie Twaddle in a minimony in July. Not only was this wedding a small one, it was also a secret with the couple only announcing their news later with a few Instagram posts.
In addition to being a small affair, the two took on 80’s inspired looks for their intimate affair.
Dennis Quaid
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Parent Trap star Dennis Quaid married his girlfriend Laura Savoie in the middle of the pandemic. Rather than the lavish wedding in Hawaii they planned, which would be followed by a second reception in Nashville with friends and family, they had a ceremony with only themselves and their pastor.
The wedding still took place by the seaside at a resort in Santa Barbara.
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