Plymouth funeral directors adapting to social distancing guidelines

John Ware from Walter C. Parson explains how it’s affecting families

A local funeral director says social distancing at funerals is a ‘difficult situation’.

John Ware from Walter C. Parson, says it is not always possible for people to comfort their bereaved family members at this time.

John told Radio Plymouth what is was like for them when the rules were first introduced:

“When the lockdown was first happening, the rules on funerals were changing almost every couple of hours. So we went from having an unlimited number of people being able to attend, to then having 30 and then it moved to ten.

“So effectively, we had to rearrange all of the funerals we were looking after at that point three times to tell the families that they had to reduce the numbers and that’s a very difficult situation to be in – how do you choose ten people when it could be a very large family?

“Drawing that line has been very difficult but I have to say that the people of Plymouth have been extremely understanding. It’s not an easy situation but we have managed to work with people to still achieve a meaningful funeral service for them to say goodbye to their loved ones.”

Government guidelines allow a maximum of ten people to attend funerals during the lockdown.

There is also currently no option to have a funeral in church, as all religions have closed their buildings to public worship.

The Vicar or the Priest can still take the funeral service, but it either has to be at the crematorium chapel, or at the grave side.

John says even at grave side, a two metre distance needs to be kept between people who do not live in the same household, which he says makes the process very difficult:

“I conducted a funeral a couple of weeks ago where the rules had just been brought in.

“There was elderly widower who needed help to get up and down and sing the hymns – the natural instinct is for the family to help him and console him and they’re not able to do that with seats being spaced two metres apart in the chapel.”

John tells Radio Plymouth why this has been especially challenging for him and staff at Walter C. Parson:

https://www.radioplymouth.com/news/local-news/plymouth-funeral-directors-adapting-to-social-distancing-guidelines/