This guidance has now been updated

Important updated guidance : ‘COVID-19: guidance for managing a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic’

14 May 2021

Public Health England and the Department of Health & Social Care has issued updated guidance for managing a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic. This revised guidance applies in England from 17 May 2021.

This has been updated in line with the following amendments: 

  • Move from capacity limit of 30 at a funeral to no numerical maximum but rather limits defined by the risk assessment of the venue, based on enabling social distancing between attendees including staff
  • Changes to social distancing advice to reflect the move to  risk based approach for individuals
  • Organisers therefore need to enable social distancing as opposed to ensuring social distancing and this should be reflected in seating arrangements
  • clinically extremely vulnerable people are able to attend funerals and should take the risks into their own hands
  • Commemorative events increasing to 30 people
  • Changes to singing advice
  • Changes to enforcement advice including removal of reference to a £10,000 fixed penalty notice as a means of enforcement for high attendance at a funeral

You can read the updated guidance here:-