The Funeral Directors Association has today welcomed the announcement of an exemption for funerals under Level 2.

“We always knew this was a hard decision for the Government” said Funeral Directors Association President Gary Taylor “and we have continued to work with them to find a solution that meets the needs of families and maintains the hard won gains of the Level 4 and Level 3 lockdowns.”

Under Level 2 the initial limit for funerals was 10 and under the new exemption, where the physical distancing, contact tracing and hygiene processes are sufficiently robust, up to 50 can now be allowed to gather.

“50 is a number we can work with for now” Taylor said, “as it will allow families to have limited access to a meaningful farewell with those they love and still keep people safe”.

The exemption has been granted for funerals with up to 50 people attending and registered with the Ministry of Health. The registration process includes a commitment to meeting public health considerations and a checklist of requirements. This list is based upon the standards put forward by the Funeral Directors Association.

Funeral Directors Association CEO David Moger is delighted with the announcement. “This will make such a positive difference to families across New Zealand dealing with the loss of a loved one” Moger said. “This is an example of the team of New Zealand working together” he said, “and I want to thank the Government, the officials and all the MPs who contributed to this review.”

The Funeral Directors Association provided Dr Ashley Bloomfield with new information related to the funeral sector and how funerals could be managed in line with a gold standard best practice approach. Taylor is confident that the approach is robust enough to maintain safety “Our members already work to a set of standards as an assurance of quality and we were able to provide the evidence to Dr Bloomfield for his consideration”.

“We all need to play our part now” Taylor said “and respect the increase in limitations as they will be sufficient for most families for the time being. We will continue to work with the Government on further changes over the coming weeks.

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