Celebrating wedding amid Ebola outbreak: No kisses or close contact, but love lives on

Amid an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that has killed nearly 100 people, couples in Bunia are holding restricted weddings with limited guests. Authorities have imposed strict health measures, reshaping social and religious ceremonies to curb infections

Bunia: There were no kisses, long embraces or a crowded dance floor packed with well-wishers. But there was love. As Congo is battling an Ebola disease outbreak that has killed nearly 100 people out of the more than 500 confirmed cases, local authorities have raced to slow the disease with strict measures, including by limiting public gatherings and enforcing social distancing.

For Jean Claude Erable and his bride Solange Hahati, celebrating their wedding on Saturday in such conditions meant having some family members and friends absent on one of their happiest days.

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“We had planned 300 guests (but) only 50 people were allowed to enter,” Hahati told The Associated Press. “It was really difficult because we wanted to celebrate with our friends.” The latest Ebola disease outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri. There are 515 confirmed infections, including 91 deaths, according to Congolese health authorities.

The number of cases is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed weeks late, and response has been challenging also because the virus has no approved vaccine or treatment.

To help slow the spread, local officials have urged people to limit physical contact, wash their hands regularly and report suspected cases quickly.

At the Catholic Church in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, where Erable and Hahati celebrated their love story, the Mass featured a number of couples who were present for their weddings.

The precautions, though not always adhered to, are reshaping social life in a country where weddings are typically vibrant, daylong celebrations bringing together hundreds of relatives, friends and well-wishers.

As the choir chorused and as brides in white gowns walked down the aisle, the handful of relatives and friends present inside the church maintained social distance, cheered and snapped photos. Outside, a crowd sang excitedly.

“We are adhering to the preventive measures and respecting social distancing,” said Erable, the groom. “I must say that there is no problem, no obstacle, because we are doing our best to respect all the measures dictated by the state.”

His bride smiled as he slipped a wedding ring onto her finger. Outside, after the wedding Mass, she gleefully displayed the ring as her husband walked her to the car.

The couple moved part of their reception outdoors, where guests could spread out more easily. Church leaders say adapting has become essential.

Some families have already postponed their scheduled weddings in light of the new health measures, said the Rev. Aime Lokanabego, the priest who officiated their wedding Mass.

The church is not holding other religious events that involve higher risks of exposure, such as baptism, he said. “This is, in a way, how we are dealing with this Ebola epidemic at our level. The situation is critical,” said Lokanabego.