In the midst of the rush at the Viti Levu COVID-19 containment borders last Sunday, a wedding was taking place at the Teidamu checkpoint outside Lautoka.

Dr Riyazal Khan and Shazia Khan sealed the beginning of their married lives after the borders opened for one-way travel at the weekend.

Dr Khan, who is on leave, is a doctor at the Lekutu Health Centre in Labasa, while Ms Khan is awaiting employment opportunities.

The couple had planned their wedding in Ba before the crisis.

The legal wedding was to have taken place on May 1 in Ba and a ceremony to follow on May 23 in Suva.

But, the inevitable situation, Dr Khan said, called for inevitable decisions to be made.

This is because the expiry date for their legal marriage was on May 18 and the maulana (Muslim priest) was staying in the Lautoka Containment Zone.

Since the couple were travelling to Suva to settle, though unconventional as it looked, they could only say “qubool hai” or “I do” at the border and sign the legal documents.

Dr Khan said: “I was at the lockdown in Ba and at the same time on standby for further deployment from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services on the next move…to read the full story, subscribe to our e-edition.

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