Tobias Sylvester
A newlywed couple and their guests were forced to spend their honeymoon night sitting outside in an empty stadium as a punishment for breaking the Covid-19 rules in Rwanda.
In series of photos shared by Rwandan media outlets, the unhappy couple were seen sitting socially distanced in the stadium with sadness boldly written all over their bodies.
The black suit-wearing groom sits with his arms folded while turning his back to his groom who he should be cuddling at that moment.
The bride is also seen in her white wedding gown with the veil still on as if the groom had not yet lifted it while wearing a nose mask with her arms folded too.
Guests, including family and friends, are also seen seated behind the couple with most of them dozing off. Some of them used their clothes to shield themselves from the cold weather and probably mosquito bites.
It was learnt that the couple and guests were transported directly to the stadium after police broke up the wedding which took place during the Easter weekend.
Police in the capital, Kigali, had stopped at least three weddings over the Easter weekend because they exceeded the maximum of 20 attendees.
A police spokesperson told Rwandan media that “more people throwing parties are violating the measures”, and police wouldn’t allow it to continue.
According to the Human Rights Watch, many of those arrested for Covid breaches have been detained in sports stadiums without due process.
The group claims they have been forced to spend nights listening to public-health messages over loudspeakers and under the watch of armed guards.
One bride told the BBC: “Spending the evening at a stadium, on my wedding day is a bad memory that will never fade in my life. Inflicting pain and shaming people like this doesn’t make us fear corona or observe measures.”
However, Rwandan National Police Spokesperson CP John Bosco told local media outlets he was unapologetic about the incident and said more stern actions will be taken for COVID-19 protocol violators.
KanyiDaily had also reported how a Nigerian couple went viral on the social media after they held their wedding reception with absolutely no guest on sight due to COVID-19.
