Co-op announces new measures to keep colleagues and families safe at funerals

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 26 March 2020

UPDATED: 26 March 2020

Central England Co-op announces new measures to keep colleagues and families safe while preparing to say goodbye to a loved one

Colleagues are working 24 hours a day to support families at their time of need but changes have had to be put in place following advice and guidance from the Government.

These changes include:

Funeral homes have restricted public access with clear information displayed on how to contact the teams if needed
Providing a new service enabling families to complete funeral arrangements over the phone or via email
Visiting loved ones is still allowed by appointment and providing social distancing guidance can be followed
Closing florist shops based on Government instructions. Families can still take their own flowers direct to any service
Being unable to provide limousines to comply with social distancing advice
Funeral Directors being encouraged to use wheeled trolleys instead of shouldering coffins
Being unable to provide new headstones or refurbish existing ones for the time being. Stone removals for burials will still be provided

Hazel Moss, Head of Funeral, said:

“We are working to do all we can to support our families at this difficult time but we feel these measures have to be put in place to protect them and our colleagues.

"We will continue to monitor the situation with a view to taking all appropriate steps to minimise risk to our colleagues, all funeral directors and their teams and all mourners and the public while maintaining the highest standard of service possible.

“These are circumstances that none of us could have imagined, but it continues to be our privilege to support families at this difficult time. Together, we will still give your loved one the best funeral we can, in the current circumstances.”

These new measures come after changes were also put in place at Bretby Crematorium to keep colleagues and mourners safe. The grounds at the site are remaining open.

New measures include:

Funerals are restricted to immediate family only with a strong recommendation of a maximum attendance of 10 mourners. Immediate family includes partners, parents, children, siblings and grandchildren
We offer free of charge webcasting of services
Curtains will be closed around coffins at the end of the service
Hymn books will be removed from chapels for the foreseeable future
A gap of at least 10 minutes between services to allow for crematorium staff to tidy the chapels
Funeral Directors will be encouraged to use wheeled trolleys instead of shouldering coffins
Advice will be posted on site asking families to use hand washing facilities, sit some distance apart from each other and not to shake hands
The main office on site will also be closed to the general public and the Book of Remembrance and other memorial work have been halted at this time

People can keep up to date with the latest guidance by visiting a dedicated online hub at www.centralengland.coop/updates

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