SINGAPORE: Wedding couples and vendors affected by recent COVID-19 restrictions can now resolve their disputes through a free mediation programme, the Ministry of Law said.
The MinLaw COVID-19 (Wedding) Mediation Programme will be open to those were in contract for the sale of goods and services in relation to a wedding event held between May 8 and Jul 31.
It will provide a channel for parties to explore and reach an “amicable solution” as opposed to taking the dispute to court, said the ministry.
When Singapore tightened community measures on May 8 in response to rising community cases, wedding receptions were initially allowed to proceed with stricter pre-event testing requirements.
Wedding receptions were disallowed from May 16, in line with the ban on dining-in. They were allowed to resume from Monday as Singapore continued easing restrictions in Phase 3.
Through the changes, couples and vendors in some cases were able to work out alternatives, such as agreeing to reschedule or downsize events or provision of goods and services, said MinLaw.
It encouraged couples and vendors to consider mediation as it has several recognised benefits. These include a high success rate of settlement, time and money savings, preservation of the relationship between parties and confidentiality, said MinLaw.
The mediation will be facilitated by a neutral trained professional in a non-adversarial and confidential setting.
