They’d have filled the church twice with standing room only
As Wales and Scotland relax curbs, grieving daughter who had just 20 mourners at mum’s funeral laments:
A GRIEVING daughter said yesterday that friends and relatives of her mother would have ‘filled the church twice with standing room only’ if it hadn’t been for Covid restrictions.
Because of the size of the crematorium, Maria Bailey could arrange for only 20 mourners to go to retired teacher Gay Kennedy’s funeral.
And friends and family around the world were forced to watch online as crematorium staff engaged in ‘banter’ and wiped down chairs moments after Mrs Kennedy’s grieving family had left. The staff had forgotten to turn off the video link.
it came as funeral restrictions were relaxed in Scotland and Wales yesterday – but ministers in England refused to heed pleas for action.
The cap on mourners saying farewell to loved ones north of the border was increased to 50, while Wales lifted the cap on outdoor wakes to 30. But grieving families in England will have to wait until June 21 for more than 30 people to attend a funeral, while only 15 can a wake until May 17.
Mrs Bailey, a grief recovery specialist and mother-of-three from Paignton in devon, said: ‘The funeral was very difficult. i know she would have filled the church twice with standing room only.
‘it was upsetting to see them cleaning as soon as they left – we know it happens but people do not want to watch that.
‘For the friends and family that were there, it was really hard not to hug each other.’
Mrs Bailey, 44, added: ‘ The Government really need to review funerals now. do not forget people in their time of need.
‘it adds another layer of grief. You are missing out on this rite of passage because you are not able to have the people you want and love there.’
The Mail has called for an urgent review of the cap on mourners as well as for lateral flow tests to reduce the need for social distancing and for the lifting of all limits on open-air services. Jon Levett, chief executive of the National Association of Funeral directors, said: ‘our preference has always been for guidance to be consistent across all four nations.
‘The rule in Wales and Northern ireland, where the maximum number is determined by the Covid-secure limit of the venue, works well and we have suggested to Government might be a sensible model for England.’
Tory MP Sir John Hayes, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for funerals, said the relaxation in some nations ‘makes an even stronger argument for consistency across the UK’. His committee is expected to meet today to discuss the restrictions.
A funeral director who has planned 200 ceremonies during the pandemic is ‘at a loss’ about why the restrictions remain.
Jonathan Williams, who runs his own firm in Basingstoke, said: ‘ People are putting their trust in us, and they need us to shake their hand or look them in the eye, or even give them a hug, to provide the reassurance they need at such an awful time.
‘There have also been examples where in excess of 30 people have turned up, with staff having to tell them they can’t come in – it is just heart-breaking.’
A government spokesman said: ‘Each devolved nation has its own unique set of circumstances. All restrictions on funerals and commemorative events have sought to balance the needs of the bereaved with the need to minimise the spread of Covid-19.’