Faith leaders have been consulted and worked
with PHE to
ensure that communities, the funeral industry and the NHS are
protected.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious disease and can be
transmitted when large groups of people congregate. However, with
certain precautions funerals should continue to take place.
To help reduce the risk of spreading the infection, funeral
directors and faith leaders are advised to restrict the number of
mourners who attend funerals, so a safe distance of at least 2
metres (3 steps) can be maintained between individuals. Only
members of the deceased person’s household or close family
members should attend funerals. Any individual displaying
symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend. Those who do attend will
need to adhere to social distancing at all times, including when
travelling to and from the funeral.
In addition, the guidance advises that since there is a small but
real risk of transmission from the body of a deceased person,
mourners are strongly advised not to take part in any rituals or
practices that bring them into close contact with the body of a
person who has died from or with symptoms of COVID-19. Practices
that involve close personal contact with the deceased should only
be carried out using the correct personal protective equipment
(PPE).
Professor Paul Cosford CB, Emeritus Medical Director, Public
Health England, said:
Losing a loved one is a sad and distressing experience and
funerals are important and personal. During this very difficult
time for the country, our aim is to protect the most vulnerable
from the spread of coronavirus.
We are encouraging all mourners to practise social distancing
at funerals for the time being. This sadly means limiting the
number of mourners to immediate households and closest family
members.
Professor Jim McManus, Director of Public Health for
Hertfordshire, said:
It is natural to wish to be with people we love and have lost
in death. It may be felt as an additional cruelty that such
physical closeness, while providing solace for our loss, may
spread the virus still further. Only skilled and sensitive
local care can help console people through such compound pain
and loss.
Mohamed Omer, board member of Gardens of Peace, said:
We welcome the new guidance from PHE and would like to
reiterate that it is essential that we maintain social
distancing at all times, including at funerals. We should also
severely curtail the numbers who attend the funerals so as to
ensure that staff working at burial sites and others are
protected. If circumstances dictate then we should contemplate,
as hard as it may seem, no attendees at funeral time.
It is also welcoming to note that we can perform our ritual
wash as long as we observe the necessary precautions of wearing
the right PPE and follow the
process included in this guideline. It is hoped that there will
be uniformity now in the whole system so that there is no
confusion and conflicting reports on the risk of handling a
COVID-19 deceased person.
Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British
Jews, said:
It is a central issue for the Jewish community that we honour
and respect our departed loved ones while protecting the
living. Our community introduced new strictures on handling the
deceased in order to do this immediately after the start of the
COVID-19 outbreak.
This thorough and considerate guidance from government supports
the Jewish community’s safeguarding actions to date, and we are
grateful to the government for their continued efforts to
preserve lives and community life.
The guidance also assists professionals such as coroners,
pathologists, funeral directors and others in their work. There
is also guidance for GPsmanaging a death outside of a
healthcare setting and for those in the community or in
residential care settings.
Background
This guidance brings
together previously published information.
By following these precautions funeral workers and mourners can
safely respect and maintain the dignity of the deceased. Unless
it is for a specific reason, at this moment of national
emergency, it is vital that we all stay at home, protect our NHS
and save lives.
If the deceased has neither household or family members in
attendance, then it is possible for a modest number of friends to
attend.
