Scarborough Council confirm just five mourners can attend funerals during lockdown

Since the start of the restrictions, Scarborough Council has allowed “immediate family” only to attend services at Woodlands Crematorium in Scarborough.

The waiting room, office and other public spaces at Woodlands have all been closed while services can be streamed live online for free for those who cannot attend.

Now, the authority has confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that just five people will now be allowed to attend services.

A council spokesman said: “We have continued to keep the revised operating procedures at our crematorium chapel under review during the coronavirus pandemic.

“After further consideration, we have decided to reduce the number of mourners who can attend burial and cremation services to five.

“This will still enable immediate family members to say goodbye to their loved one.

“It will also allow us to continue to help protect the health and wellbeing of everyone we deal with and our staff.

“We have informed funeral directors and arrangers about the changes and we will continue to work with them to sensitively manage the needs of the bereaved. For services booked before April 17, we are honouring previous arrangements.”

Last week Public Health England (PHE) issued new guidance to councils about how to hold funeral services during the lockdown.

It followed concerns raised by members of the public about some councils taking heavy-handed approaches to funerals, with nearby York City Council at one point only allowing “direct cremations” with no mourners.

The new PHE guidance details where exceptions can be made to allow families and friends to attend funerals and say goodbye to loved ones.

The advice includes:

- those who have symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19 must not attend and must stay at home

- limiting the numbers in attendance to as low as possible to ensure safe social distancing. Numbers can be determined by the size and circumstance of the venue

- observing social distancing guidance across all aspects of attending a funeral

- people who are extremely clinically vulnerable (shielded) can attend with measures put in place to reduce their risk

- people self-isolating because someone in their household is ill may attend if they do not have symptoms themselves

Professor Paul Cosford, Public Health England’s emeritus medical director, said: “Every death is a tragedy and it’s important that family and friends can mourn as they need to.

“This revised guidance strikes a careful balance between our need to mark the life of a loved one when we are bereaved and minimising the risk of spreading coronavirus infection.”

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