BREAKING NEWS---Up to 50 people allowed at funerals as Government backtracks on 10-person limit for Level 2

Brian from New Lynn

Minister of Health David Clark announced the change of heart this afternoon, just hours before New Zealand's scheduled move to Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm. The new limit will allow up to 50 people to gather for the purposes of funerals and tangihanga, provided that strict public health measures are in place. From tomorrow, funeral directors will have to obtain dispensation from the Ministry of Health to allow up to 50 people to attend services, while having to meet a range of public health measures. Those measures will include physical distancing, hand hygiene, as well as no food and drink congregations afterwards. "Funerals are exceptional events and have been one of the most difficult areas of restriction that we've considered as we try to avoid the double tragedy of losing a loved one and spreading the virus," Dr Clark said. "The strength of our response to this virus has been in our agility to respond and we have listened to the concerns of the 10-person limit for funerals and moved on that - while emphasising they still pose a significant risk in setting us back. "We can all be rightly proud of the progress we've made in tackling the virus over the past seven weeks and we need to maintain this unity to keep us on track. "I'm pleased that we have found a workable solution that that keeps people safe, while at the same time allowing more people to gather and grieve together."
========================================================