Drastic changes to funerals in Jersey to prevent spread of coronavirus

Funerals cannot be held in any of Jersey's churches and must only be attended by immediate family due to the risk of spreading coronavirus.

At a Funeral Services stakeholders' meeting today (23 March), a common set of guidelines was agreed with regard to cremation and burial services on-island.

This included that funerals must be held either at the crematorium, or at the graveside, with the only exception being where access to the graveside is limited for a disabled member of the family.

In addition, all new funerals booked may only be attended by close family members, who must adhere to government guidelines on social distancing.

Other changes include:

• Hymns cannot be sung

• There will be no orders of service produced

• Service length is likely to be reduced

• Staffing at the crematorium and graveside will be kept to a minimum

• There will be no physical greetings at entrances or exits

• People will be asked to wash their hands before entering the crematorium

• All burials of ashes will be postponed or may go ahead without families in attendance

Families will be asked if they wish to record the service for non-attending family members, and will also be offered the opportunity for a proper memorial at a later date, once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.