Faith groups in London will be asked to relax requirements for funerals and burials if a coronavirus pandemic leads to a steep increase in deaths.
The plan is contained in a blueprint for how the capital would dispose of bodies safely and with dignity in the event of a major disaster.
It says that to prevent strain on cemeteries and crematoria, local religious groups which might usually hold funerals within 24 hours “have agreed in principle that certain requirements may not be adhered to if mass storage is necessary”.
The plan was drawn up by the London Resilience Forum, an emergency planning group that brings together organisations including the emergency services and local government.
Measures include creating extra storage at crematoria, hiring chilled storage units if necessary and training police to identify death and rule out foul play in clear-cut cases.
Burials should go ahead if families are unable to pay fees immediately, with money “reclaimed at a later date”, and closed cemeteries could be reopened.
In the very worst scenario, which would far exceed current fears about coronavirus, mass graves and funeral pyres might be considered.
