Give grieving families a crumb of comfort

THE funeral of a loved one is a devastating ordeal at any time. Yet those saying final farewells can normally draw solace from the squeeze of a hand or the simple closeness of family.

Regrettably, relatives today are denied even this crumb of comfort. For ludicrous and cruel Covid rules decree funerals must be confined to 30 mourners (despite no proof this impedes the virus’s spread).

Tragically, by June 21 – the earliest this arbitrary cap could lift – another 80,000 families will have grieved at such stark send-offs. Yet the regulations defy all logic.

If we can shop safely in supermarkets, surely it’s not a Sisyphean task to scrap social distancing in the pews. And it’s surely a bleak irony that after a sparse service, the wake can be held in a thronging pub garden.

Mourners, of course, are usually older people who’ve been vaccinated. There could hardly be a safer environment.

Perhaps most irrationally, there is no numerical limit on regular religious services. As things stand, bereaved families must make the painful choice of who to invite – and who to omit.

Michael Gove, the minister responsible, could end this aberration at a stroke. For in their hour of suffering, those saying goodbye deserve common sense and compassion.