Funeral numbers

As long as social distancing is adhered to, increase numbers who can attend a funeral to about 20. Crematoriums can ensure seating is set for this as can churches/ funeral homes. Personal responsibility would be required as funeral directors would struggle to enforce this but many many families would follow these guidelines.

Why the contribution is important

Support for grieving families in first few weeks is so important and a funeral is really for the family/friends left behind.

by Annescotlass on May 09, 2020 at 04:34PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.3
Based on: 9 votes

Comments

  • Posted by lmg1612 May 09, 2020 at 16:38

    One of the cruelest restrictions in my opinion. Crematoriums etc are big enough to allow social distancing and same household members can sit together.

  • Posted by junie2dogs May 09, 2020 at 19:06

    Unfortunately I am one of the people who have had first hand experience in this area. We were allowed 20 - same household were allowed to sit together and social distancing was adhered to. Numbers Should be dictated by the venue size imo

  • Posted by FlufflyClouds3 May 09, 2020 at 19:31

    Yes, it's cruel. But it's not senseless. There is a reason why this is a thing. No-one is at their most rational when they've just lost a loved one. This isn't opinion, this is fact. Do you really think you could take "personal responsibility" in that case? And even if you could, do you think everyone in the country could???
      I know something like not being able to properly mourn is horrible. I know 2 people in this situation myself, but if we don't want to exponentially increase the number of dead, we NEED to adhere to social distancing. The virus won't respect the sanctity of a funeral.
      It's not about size of a place. If you spend extended time in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space with a large amount of other people then no amount of 'personal responsibility' will save you from getting it and spreading it to others.
      Even if you personally were somehow magically wise enough to prevent the infection of others, we can't expect EVERYONE to do this. That's why these restrictions exist in the first place. We need to use our heads, not our hearts.

  • Posted by rwj May 11, 2020 at 10:08

    I understand why people are upset, I recently experienced the restrictions at a funeral of a very dear friend. A number of us, friends and relatives, stood adjacent to the car park, and adhered to the social distancing rules. We were lucky the weather was kind. It was a showing love and respect, not partying.

    I was told that the problem is that the more people that attend inside the more time it would take to clean/disinfect all surfaces before the next funeral. It's not just the risk of spreading to your family and friends but the people who follow on.

  • Posted by ThomasUist May 11, 2020 at 21:36

    Funerals are a vital means to process grief. And the inability to hold a funeral with any reasonable number of people is particular hard on island communities. Because of the higher proportion of elderly people within our island communities, we have a greater number of deaths. Within our close-knit communities large funerals are a major means to process grief, and the very tight restrictions on funerals is a significant source of distress. There is no reason why numbers shouldn't be increased significantly even if social distancing is still required. 20 sounds like a reasonable initial target to allow key members of family and friends to attend.
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