Coronavirus: Mourners attending funeral services asked to avoid hugging and hand-shaking

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Crematoriums across the UK have introduced strict social distancing measures at funerals to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

On Thursday, the Westerleigh Group - one of the largest operators of private crematoriums in the UK – announced that it would be implementing a number of new rules for mourners attending all future funerals amid the coronavirus outbreak.

A spokesperson for the company, which looks after more than 40,000 funerals each year, said that while it is not restricting the number of people that can attend funerals, it is asking attendees to social distance.

“We are not restricting the number of mourners, but we are asking everyone to observe a sensible space between each other when they attend a service,” the spokesperson said.

As well as asking anyone who has symptoms of the virus not to attend services, the company has asked mourners to limit any physical contact.

“We want to reduce the chances of the virus being passed on,” the spokesperson explained.

"We will ask mourners to avoid hand-shaking and hugging, which we understand is difficult at such a time, and we will also be encouraging hand-washing at the facilities we have made available."

The guidance has been passed on to all local funeral directors, however the company stressed that the number of services it provides will not be reduced.

A media spokesperson for the the Westerleigh Group added that the situation is being monitored "very closely" and that it will continue to adhere to the government’s advice.

"Our aim remains to offer the best possible service to the bereaved whilst ensuring that we are prepared for any further escalation in the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic," they said.

"The safety and wellbeing of our staff, our funeral director colleagues and the public are of paramount importance."

The policy follows new NHS coronavirus guidance which states that the vast majority of people will be banned from visiting relatives in hospitals across England.

To prevent the virus from spreading on hospital wards, people will be asked to use “mobile devices and video calling” to speak to patients in critical care areas, the Telegraph reports.

According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, the global death toll of coronavirus has risen to more than 8,000, while the number of confirmed cases has surpassed 200,000.

On Wednesday, the government confirmed that 56,221 people have been tested in the UK, of which 53,595 were confirmed negative and 2,626 were confirmed positive.

103 patients in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus have died.