The guidance around COVID-19 is continually evolving. The Government and Public Health Officials are issuing updates on a regular basis including the introduction of restrictions to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
Many of our community members are concerned about funeral arrangements during this difficult time. There is no official guidance that applies to all scenarios therefore the arrangement of each funeral will be based on regulations, government advice and the policy of the Funeral Director at the time. We are however seeing certain changes which include:
· Restricting attendance at funeral homes to close family members.
· Restricting the practice of allowing open caskets in funeral homes and at funeral services.
· Advising mourners and attendees not to touch, kiss or come in contact with the coffin.
· Crematoria restricting the types of services that can be carried out at their premise
· Caps being applied to the number of attendees at the funeral (currently ranging between 25 and 50)
For the health and safety of everyone, funerals for anyone who has died of COVID-19 will be subject to further limitations. People who have been in contact with the deceased are likely to be in the self-isolation period, this could therefore delay the funeral proceedings. In these
circumstances, it may not be possible to have a full Hindu Pooja including open coffin service.
We continue to follow the Government and Public Health England guidance. As per our recent communication, our Centre will be closed until further notice and to avoid mass gathering and social distancing, we regret that any sort of Beswanu may not be possible.
The best method of obtaining further information at this time will be from our community Funeral Directors, Chandu Tailor & Son. Their contact details are in our Darji Directory.
You can get more public health advice on the NHS page about coronavirus: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ and we advise everyone to please follow the Government guidelines and stay safe at home.
Please do not take safety very lightly, we need to take care of ourselves and our family.
Follow the Government guidelines and stay at home, we all have a part to play in combating this virus
DMMUK TEAM
Darji Mitra Mandal of the UK