MANILA, Philippines — The ringing of wedding bells may have to wait for Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez, as they decided to postpone their nuptials scheduled this weekend following the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“As much as we want to celebrate our love with our family and friends, in light of the recent situation we have decided to postpone our wedding as we do not want to put anyone at risk,” Lahbati said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“Thank you so much to those who flew in and to everyone who worked so hard for our special day,” she added.
“We only wish good health for everyone and we hope to celebrate with you as soon as things get better.”
The Philippines so far 52 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday.
COVID-19 was caused by a novel coronavirus that first broke out in Wuhan City in the province of Hubei in China. The new virus strain was later named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
This virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. It may also lead to severe illnesses such as pneumonia to others, especially to older adults and to people who have pre-existing health problems.
Lahbati and Gutierrez have been engaged since 2017. They have two sons, Zion and Kai.