Further to the MHCLG Press Release and the accompanying ministerial letter to councils which announced government plans to ensure bereaved families can attend funerals during the pandemic (reviewed here), on 19 April Public Health England (PHE) published COVID-19: guidance for managing a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic. Extracts of this document are reproduced below, [emboldening in original; italicized emphasis added].
Guidance
COVID-19: guidance for managing a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic
Published 19 April 2020
Main principles
This advice is designed to assist people who are involved in managing or organising a funeral related to a death from any cause during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This guidance has been developed to ensure that:
- bereaved people are treated with sensitivity, dignity and respect
- mourners and workers involved in the management of funerals are protected from infection