London, Mar 20 (IANS): The Church of England has said that the number of people attending church weddings will be limited to five people -- priest, bride, groom, two witnesses -- due to the coronavirus epidemic, it was reported.

In an updated guidance on their website, the Church said on Thursday: "While wedding services may continue, numbers attending the ceremony in church will need to be strictly curtailed to the legal minimum.

"Where family relatives or friends are unable to attend given the restrictions on numbering, churches will be happy to explore ways to allow others to join the service, either through platforms such as Skype, or recording the service to send at a later date to anyone unable to attend."

The Church further said that the priest was not required to touch the rings to bless them, nor does he or she have to touch the couple's hands as part of a prayer or blessing, reports the Metro newspaper.

Besides the five people, no additional church personnel will attend the service, including organists, vergers or sound system operators.

The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has increased to 2,716 with 137 deaths.