No funerals during lockdown

Services off: There will be no services held at Evans Funeral Services during the lockdown. File picture

The district's death rate is not going to increase at the moment if we do this together and follow the rules, says Evans Funeral Services owner David Parker.

Mr Parker says he wants to take the alarm out of the enforced lockdown situation.

“It is interesting times but the virus is not in Gisborne. We are so fortunate and isolated.”

Mr Parker confirmed that in the event of any death there would be no funerals or gatherings during the lockdown period, and he advised everyone to stay in the bubble of people with who they were self-isolating.

Evans Funeral Services will make all arrangements over the phone. Staff are working from home and are available 24 hours a day, says Mr Parker.

In a nutshell, here is what will happen.

If the person dies at home, two people from Evans will go to the property.

They will not be dressed in full white suits but will be extremely conscious of the two-metre social distancing rule and wearing gloves.

The family who is self-isolating with the deceased person will have to leave the house while the body is removed.

All bodies would be taken to Evans, where they can either be cremated, long-term embalmed, or buried at Taruheru cemetery with no family present.

There can also be no viewings of bodies during this time of lockdown.

Mr Parker said Maori families who wished for whanau to be returned to the Coast for a Tangihanga could also not have it done during Alert Level 4.

“Evans’ can do a transfer from the Coast to Gisborne - but not the other way round. This is defined as essential travel verses non-essential travel.

“If a person passes away up the Coast, the family has the option of bringing their loved one to Gisborne for cremation or burial at Taruheru, (no family presence) or long-term embalming.

“Or we could supply a casket to them and do all the legal requirements, and they could still be buried at their family urupa. Attendance would be restricted to whanau who were isolated to the home where the person died.”

Mr Parker said they were given this information from the Department of Justice and Ministry of Health.

“There are no exceptions.”

He expected most people will send their loved ones for cremation then hold a celebration of that person's life with the ashes once the lockdown period is lifted.

“A person's life can be acknowledged when things calm down."

Talking from his home, Mr Parker said he was having daily conference calls with the coronial system on how to deal with individual cases. This is to ensure everyone around New Zealand has standard operating procedures because it is still a bit unknown.