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How many people are allowed at a funeral?

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Published 01/10/2020

by Lewis Saunderson

UPDATE: The below information was correct as of October 2020. For an updated look at the current funeral guidelines as of 17th May 2021, take a look at the following blog post: funeral-notices.co.uk/blog/what-are-the-current-funeral-guidelines-in-the-uk

How many people are allowed at a funeral?

There may be some confusion as to how many people are allowed at a funeral following the latest Government rules. Nobody should meet socially in groups of more than six from Monday 14th September until further notice. However, funerals are exempt from this as long as they are COVID secure.

How many mourners are allowed at a funeral during Covid-19?

Please note these are the latest rules which were updated on 4th September and are subject to change.

A maximum of 30 people for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can attend but it’s suggested only a modest number of friends and family should go.

For Scotland it’s a maximum of 20 people.

Do I need to wear a mask at a funeral?

Guests need to wear a face covering unless disabled or under 11 years old.

Are vulnerable people allowed to attend funerals during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)?

Mourners who are clinically or extremely vulnerable need to have measures to reduce the risk of transmission.

Mourners who are self-isolating because someone in their house is unwell with symptoms of Covid-19 or are advised by NHS Test and Trace, but are not symptomatic themselves, can go to the funeral but only if the venue have measures in place to reduce the risk of transmission.

Any mourner with Covid-19 symptoms should not attend.

Other rules about attending a funeral:

You should make sure the funeral venue has capacity for the number of guests to be able to have social distancing of 2 metres.

Mourners should also social distance when travelling to and from the funeral.

Contact your local Funeral Director or Crematorium directly for their policy on numbers attending as smaller venues may only permit 15 people even though the rule is 30.

Can mourners coming from outside England attend funerals?

Mourners who have travelled to England from countries that are not exempt from the requirement to self-isolate (in the last 14 days) may attend the funeral.

We hope this blog helps clear some confusion in these unprecedented times. You can visit the NAFD (National Association of Funeral Directors) who have a website dedicated to Covid info' for the public and Funeral Directors: NAFD COVID-19 Advice

For more in depth knowledge about the rules please visit the gov.uk website here.