Bereaved families in Southport are being urged not to delay funeral arrangements for relatives who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
Restrictions are currently in place to prevent more than 10 people from attending any burial or cremation service in the Sefton area, leaving difficult decisions for who can or cannot attend a service.
Health officials and religious leaders across the Liverpool City Region have now taken the very difficult decision to urge all bereaved families to continue with any funeral arrangements rather than delay them.
Burial and Cremations services, as well as Registrar facilities, remain a key service provided by the Local Authority during this time and Sefton Council continues to offer as much support as possible to those who have lost their loved ones.
Regrettably due to vital social distancing measures, the number of people allowed to attend a burial or cremation service has been temporarily restricted to a maximum of 10 people.
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A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “We understand that this will be a very difficult time for anyone who has lost a loved one and our deepest sympathies go out to those who are bereaved.
“We understand that families will want to pay their respects to their loved ones and we are doing all we can to ensure those who have sadly passed away are given the respect and love they deserve.
“While a funeral ceremony during this time may not be the traditional send off families would want for their loved ones, we will do everything in our power to allow families to hold a more traditional memorial service at a later date.”
In a joint letter to residents across the Liverpool City Region, Bishop of Liverpool, The Rt Reverend Paul Bayes and Archbishop of Liverpool, The Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, wrote: “We realise these are challenging times for everybody, but especially for those who have experienced bereavement, whether or not this has been caused by COVID-19.”
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