This footage shows a newlywed Chinese couple walking home alone on their wedding day after their city is put on lockdown and they are forbidden from hosting a banquet.
The young couple, who would otherwise have expected a motorcade and a large gathering of friends and loved ones, were spotted by officers in the county of Qichun, which is in locked-down Huanggang City in Central China’s Hubei Province.
Despite being less than 50 miles from coronavirus epicentre Wuhan, the couple had already chosen the auspicious date for their big day and decided to go through with the formalities with no one else in attendance.
Video Credit: AsiaWire
Footage taken on 1st February shows the husband having followed tradition by arriving at his bride’s family home to pick her up.
But instead of being able to drive her back, the pair were forced to walk due to the traffic restrictions during the lockdown.
In the video, he can be seen pulling his wife’s dowdy while the bride, dressed fully in traditional red clothing, walks alongside him.
Both were wearing surgical masks, the authorities said.
An officer with the county’s Public Security Bureau told local media: “Our officers came across the couple at a checkpoint yesterday.
“The young man picked the auspicious date to get married but didn’t host a banquet.
“He walked out of town alone and came to fetch his bride.
“His bride pulled a trunk containing her dowry, put on her veil and walked out.
“She must’ve felt very sorry for herself because she started crying.
“Our officers were moved, so they drove them to their home.”
The Wuhan coronavirus has so far killed 362 people, all but one of whom was in mainland China.
Some 17,400 people have been infected by the mysterious pneumonia-like disease worldwide.
The province of Hubei, where the viral infection began, has been on lockdown for 12 days.
Residents not in quarantine zones have been urged self-isolate, and it is now mandatory to wear a surgical mask outdoors.
Large public gatherings such as wedding banquet are forbidden.
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Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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