Masks and kisses: Philippine couples brave virus to exchange vows

Filipino couples kiss while wearing their face masks in a government-sponsored mass wedding in Bacolod City, Philippines, February 20, 2020. Picture taken February 20, 2020. Bacolod City Public Information Office/Handout via REUTERS

MANILA (Reuters) - Wearing blue surgical masks amid a coronavirus outbreak, 220 couples exchanged vows and kisses in the central Philippines to launch their married lives.

Lovers and their relatives braved the virus, which has killed 2,236 people, to attend Thursday's mass ceremony sponsored by the coastal city of Bacolod.