Funerals in Liverpool will be restricted as the city prepares for the rise in deaths because of the coronavirus.
As of today, funeral services at the city’s three public crematoria (Springwood, Anfield and Myrtle) will only be able to accommodate a maximum of ten people at the ceremony.
The city council’s Register Office will continue to honour religious observances for funerals.
The Register Office has also ceased conducting weddings and civil ceremonies until further notice to comply with restrictions announced by the Prime Minister, last night.
Couples who need to cancel or rearrange the date of their ceremony should do so online at: https://liverpool.gov.uk/contactregisteroffice or email ceremonies@liverpool.gov.uk with their names, date and place of the ceremony and contact telephone number.
General enquiries should be sent to registrar@liverpool.gov.uk with name, telephone number and and email address.
Liverpool City Council has introduced a wide range measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, closing all leisure centres, one stop shops, libraries and casual markets and is urging people to use council services by going online at www.liverpool.gov.uk or by calling 0151 233 3001.
The council is also coordinating 50 school hubs across the city to support people identified as key workers, so that their children can continue to go to school.
Liverpool Mayor, Joe Anderson, has today welcomed the response for his call to create a community army of volunteers to help the most vulnerable during the crisis. A volunteer hotline was created last Thursday and more than 2,000 people have now registered to help with tasks ranging from delivering medicines to helping at the city’s foodbanks.
People can call the volunteer hotline on 0151 233 3068 or can sign up online via Liverpool City Council’s website: www.liverpool.gov.uk/coronavirus
For the latest information and advice, Liverpool City Council has also set up an online portal - www.liverpool.gov.uk/coronavirus
- and dedicated social media feeds at www.facebook.com/covidliverpool and w ww.twitter.com/covidliverpool
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said : “One of the unfortunate and sad outcomes of the Coronavirus pandemic is that the government’s new stay-at-home guidelines mean we have to change how we do funerals and weddings.
“The issue of numbers of people allowed to attend funerals has required a lot of thought because we all appreciate how emotionally sensitive these occasions are.
"Given the size of our crematoriums it was felt that ten people would be manageable under the social distancing guidelines and allow families to identify the most immediate relatives or closest friends of the deceased.
“In terms of weddings and civil ceremonies it’s clear a lot of couples have taken the matter into their own hands already with many postponing them to the autumn.
"However, for any planned that were over the next three weeks will need to be rescheduled. Our staff at the Register Office are brilliant and I know they will support couples as best they can to navigate this unfortunate situation for them.
“We know the Coronavirus is going to challenge us all, as families, individuals and organisations.
"The city council is trying its utmost to ensure some kind of normality can continue and judging by how people in this city are already responding be it at our school hubs, foodbanks and new volunteer programme I’ve every confidence in our collective ability to pull through.”
