A small number of exemptions to the cap on mourners at funerals have been granted by the ACT government "on compassionate grounds".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There have been seven funerals in the territory where the national limit of 10 has been exceeded with official permission.
An ACT government statement said that this was done when the venue was big enough to keep people apart and where families were large. On no account would groups of more than 20 be allowed.
ACT chief medical officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman, told The Canberra Times: "While the maximum limit for attendees at a funeral is set at 10 (not including the person performing the service or other funeral staff), this will not be suitable or reasonable in all situations.
"For this reason I can grant exemptions on compassionate grounds, for instance, where the deceased had more than 10 people in their immediate family.
"I recognise these restrictions on funerals can be incredibly difficult for people who are dealing with the loss of a loved one."
Funeral director Paul Compton of Toscan Dinn Funerals in Weston said the company had arranged one funeral of more than 10 after getting permission.
"We have had a funeral recently where circumstances saw the ACT Chief Health Officer grant an exemption to lift that number to 14."
READ MORE:
This was of a man who had a wide family with several generations and many nephews and nieces.
But Mr Compton said funeral directors were strict with families which wanted to break the rules without permission, telling them the coffin wouldn't leave the hearse if there were more than 10 people there.
The ceiling on the number of mourners was brought in by the federal government at the end of March.
"This is not an easy decision," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said of the funeral and wedding limits. There was no talk of exemptions at the time.
The ACT's Dr Coleman said of the limits on Thursday, "They have been put in place to help protect the whole community from the increased risk in transmission of COVID-19 that has been seen in group gatherings in other jurisdictions."
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. If you're looking to stay up to date on COVID-19, you can also sign up for our twice-daily digest here.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
