Numbers capped for Scots weddings and funerals
The number of people who can attend funerals, weddings and civil partnerships in Scotland when they resume next week is to be capped at 20, the First Minister has confirmed.
Nicola Sturgeon has also said that the limit of 20 people is subject to “strict rules on physical distancing”.
The changes apply only to the ceremonies and not any linked events such as receptions or wakes.
Ms Sturgeon said: “We know that the restrictions on funeral services in particular have been incredibly tough in many cases utterly heartbreaking.
“I hope this change is a welcome one, though of course it still doesn’t permit full-scale gatherings for weddings, civil partnerships or funerals.”
Asked why the cap at 20 has been set when larger groups could possibly gather in pubs with beer gardens, the First Minister defended the policy.
“A beer garden may have more than 20 people, but the group you are in should still be limited in terms of households and numbers,” she said.
“Think about a wedding though, the 20 people in a wedding are all going to know each other really well. You are probably going to be part of the same family or different families that are very closely connected.
“The tendency to be a bit closer to each other, although we are still saying you should be physically distanced, the tendency maybe to not stick to that is potentially greater. So it’s about caution and just being a bit more careful about it because of the context of it.”
The First Minister dropped a heavy hint that communal singing of hymns will be banned in churches and other places or worship, despite them getting the green light to resume.
“I would say to anybody who is looking forward to going back to their place of worship over the next couple of weeks don’t assume that singing is necessarily going to be part of that,” she said.
There are fears that singing amplifies the level of droplets spread around in such an enclosed environment. It applies where people breath more deeply in order to sing, or inside pubs where people have to shout over noise.
National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said he was “nervous” about activities like indoor choirs and karaoke.
“We’re keen to get places of worship back, so hopefully getting some numbers that they haven’t been able to get up until this point physically distanced with handwashing, but probably I think no communal singing for now.”