Melbourne police allegedly gave permission to more than 30 people to celebrate a wedding despite set rules stating no more than five people are allowed into a ceremony.
The ceremony took place in Broadmeadows last week, with videos and photos showing friends and family moving to the beat of a drummer and squeezing in for a picture with the newlyweds.
Guests and locals said the Police were called, and officers came to check the situation, but the party continued anyway.
Guests were reportedly told celebrations could continue following the traditional Islamic ceremony as long as they kept a certain distance from each other and limited themselves to groups of no more than five persons.
A number of couples, including Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi and her partner Chandler Powell, rescheduled their weddings to later dates in order to celebrate with their families.
Authorities hesitated to explain why the wedding was allowed to proceed.
‘Victoria Police will not provide a running commentary on individual spot checks, reports of people breaching self-isolation or breaches of mass gatherings,’ a police spokesperson said.
‘However we have seen the vast majority of the community treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves up until this point.’
Daily Mail Australia has inquired for information regarding the wedding from Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neille, the groom, and a few guests.
The wedding was reportedly booked before the coronavirus epidemic guidelines.
Victorian authorities have confirmed the guidelines are so strict that couples cannot meet each other unless they live under the same roof.
Ms. Neville tweeted:
‘You cannot visit your partner for social reasons’.
When asked whether a social visit was allowed, Premier Daniel Andrews said in a press conference:
‘That’s not work, that’s not care-giving, that’s not medical care, that’s not shopping for the things you need when you need them, and it does not comply with the rules. People should not do that.’
Victoria’s rules are different from those of New South Wales, the place most affected by the crisis, where couples are permitted to visit each other at home.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said that partners visiting each other counts as ‘care’ because it is important to mental wellbeing.
‘I would put that under care, absolutely, mental health, that’s under care… we need to look after each other,’ he said.
The Victorian government website states:
‘Every interaction with another person carries the risk of transmission and should be avoided.’
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Source: Daily Mail
