Planning a funeral during the Covid-19 pandemic? Laura Richardson outlines some of the key points that everyone should account for . . .

When planning a funeral in the midst of the pandemic, it is important to first consult with the latest government guidance before making any funeral plans. Current government regulations for holding a funeral in England can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic#:~:text=The%20maximum%20limit%20for%20these,of%20COVID%2D19.

Under current regulations, up to 30 people can attend a funeral in England, but only 6 are allowed to attend any other commemorative event, including a wake, or the scattering of ashes. These numbers apply whether the events are indoors or outdoors which may make planning a funeral quite different during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For any funeral or commemorative event you should ensure that your plans adhere to Social Distancing requirements including:

  • Ensuring that no attendees have any symptoms of coronavirus.
  • Ensuring people from separate households remain 2-metres away from each other.
  • Facilitating regular hand washing or hand sanitising.
  • Ensuring all attendees, except those with a valid exemption, wear a face covering when indoors or in an enclosed public space within which physically distancing would be difficult.
  • Avoiding singing, shouting or raised voices.

The government have issued further advice for those planning a funeral during the pandemic which includes:

  • Considering further limiting the number of people that you invite to the funeral.
  • Using instrumental or recorded music rather than live singing.
  • Facilitating a live stream of the funeral to allow participation from the safety of homes rather than attending in person.
  • Ensuring that all attendees are aware if there is a clinically vulnerable person in attendance to further protect them from close contact.

Having planned the funeral itself, it is customary to plan a further commemorative event to follow this, such as a wake. However, with only 6 attendees permitted at commemorative events, this will inevitably need to be dramatically downscaled. This could well have an impact on mourners who may feel that they have not had an opportunity to comprehensively pay their respects to the deceased. You may therefore wish to consider an alternative form of honouring the deceased, for example in the form of an online memorial, through which family and friends can share photos or special memories commemorating the life of their loved one. You may even wish to postpone any type of commemorative event until a later date, such as the anniversary of your loved one’s death in the hope that you could hold a more traditional event at that time!

If you would like to discuss making planning a funeral for yourself, either by including details of your wishes within your Will or through a Pre-Payment Funeral Plan, contact Andrew Douglas Wills & Legal Services today.

Our expert team will advise you on the best way to ensure that your funeral wishes are fulfilled as well as whether your wishes could be fulfilled should you die during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For further information or to arrange your free initial consultation, why not call today?

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