Saudi Arabia trains clerics to hold online marriage ceremonies

A course about electronic marriage organised by the Saudi Ministry of Justice is to start today, Al-Khaleej Online reported.

The course is targeting 5,000 clerics responsible for holding marriages in the kingdom.

According to the Saudi newspaper Okaz, the clerics would be taught how to hold marriage ceremonies and document marriages on electronic platforms. This would reduce the need for couples to attend courts and other government offices.

These measures are being put in place as a result of the government shut down following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

To date, the kingdom has recorded over 30,250 cases of the respiratory disease including 200 patients who have died. The New York Times said more than 150 members of the royal family have been infected, reported which officials have refuted.

Saudi Arabia: 542 marriages registered online during Covid-19 crisis