ROCKFORD (WREX) – Planning a wedding during a pandemic is no easy task.
“It was definitely difficult,” says Becca Bartels, who works as the coordinator for Rockford Indoor City Market Events. “I feel like it went from the happiest day in people’s lives to the most stressful. There have been so many phone calls that started with, ‘Oh, I have bad news that we need to readjust.'”
On Friday the Illinois entered the bridge phase. This means that indoor events can now have 250 guests. A big leap from the only 50 people allowed in phase 4. If the event is off-site, 500 people can attend, which is five times more than the previous state.
“It’s gotten a bit more normal,” says Bartels. “There’s more excitement going back, especially for the couples who postponed last spring, now that they can party with family and friends.”
In order for bridges and grooms to have a wedding without COVID-19 protocols, health professionals need to focus on reaching the finish line, especially over the next several weeks.
“We are now in this part of what I call the final sprint of the marathon,” says Dr. Sandra Martell, Winnebago Public Health Administrator. “And we have about five weeks to get to that date. That means we have to increase the number of people vaccinated so we can increase that percentage to over 50.”