David Seymour, the leader of ACT New Zealand, says ‘the latest bridal fashion accessory this summer is a mask’ after widespread confusion over the nation’s mandate led to more than 30,000 Kiwis signing a petition in less than 24 hours calling for restrictions to be scrapped.
Fears that newlyweds in New Zealand will be forced to say ‘yes’ under face masks have been debunked amid mass confusion over Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s final term.
There was widespread anxiety and rage among couples preparing to walk down the aisle after the government’s COVID-19 website was updated this week to say attendees to gatherings must wear face masks from February 4.
“You cannot remove your face mask for photos, but you can remove it for eating and drinking,” the guide says.
A petition demanding the warrant be scrapped for weddings was quickly launched on Thursday and received 30,000 signatures in just 20 hours, while ACT chief David Seymour claimed the latest bridal fashion accessory this summer would be a mask in a scathing critique of the rule.
But the New Zealand government sought to clarify the regulations on Friday, amending the Unite Against COVID-19 website to indicate that wedding celebrations will not be subject to the mandate if they are held in a private place.
“You will be required to wear a mask in catering businesses, convenience businesses, events and gatherings (you will not need to wear a face mask at a gathering where you have exclusive use of the venue, including including weddings),” the website reads.
“You can take off your mask to eat, drink or exercise.”
The updated guidelines are in line with Ms Ardern’s comments at Tuesday’s press conference, where she announced the tightened mask rules in a bid to slow the spread of Omicron.
“These changes will not apply to non-public workplaces, swimming pools and gatherings where you have exclusive use of a space,” she said at the time.
Mr Seymour said he was ‘inundated’ with emails from brides and celebrants complaining about how ‘absurd’ the mask rule was in a statement on Friday.
“Everyone at the wedding must keep their mask on until they are seated for dinner. This means no kissing the bride, photos with masks, masks for the first dance, masked celebrants and masks when you stand up to cut the cake,” he said.
“We have yet to hear from Jacinda if the bride and groom can remove the mask to consummate the marriage.”
The Change.org petition to remove mask regulations for weddings – in response to the initial guidelines – said “enough is enough” after two years under COVID-19 regulations.
“Couples deserve to celebrate their marriages too, the past few years have been stressful – applying this rule suddenly is devastating to many who have already been impacted by COVID,” the petition reads.
It was inundated with comments from locals supporting the petition.
‘I’m a wedding photographer, doing my part, wearing a mask, been double vaxxed but this will cripple my business for tiny case counts,’ one person wrote.
“The only place people should be able to forget about COVID is on their special day. No one is spending $40,000,000 to wear a mask!” another reading.
