Bereavement calls have been conducted using video phone calls, such as FaceTime, as a means to offer support and condolences, while funerals themselves can have no more than 10 people in attendance – two staff and up to eight family members.
Argent Funeral Services Limited owner Gary Vaudin said there had been a few radical changes to how they usually work.
‘We’ve had to adapt,’ he said.
‘Everything has to be conducted by the telephone, FaceTime or email.
‘We can’t go to people’s homes and conduct a bereavement interview the usual way which is very difficult – certainly by telephone because 55% of your body language is your language. It’s very difficult to convey empathy with somebody over a telephone.’
He said there had been other changes related to the legal work that needed to be carried out.
‘The way in which documentation pertaining to death has changed – emergency legislation has been implemented to facilitate email transmission of documentation,’ he said
‘We’ve traditionally always registered deaths on behalf of bereaved clients, but we can now actually register in our own name on their behalf.
‘We can also apply for a cremation on behalf of clients if they so desire, which didn’t exist before, and whereas once upon a time you needed two doctors to produce, one, a medical certificate, and two, a cremation medical certificate prior to cremation, now the requirement is only one doctor needs to sign and it doesn’t have to be the GP of the deceased, it can be any doctor.’
Funerals themselves are still conducted, with a maximum of 10 people attending – the officiant or the minister, one funeral staff member, and up to eight close family members, respecting social distancing. If there’s no family a maximum of three close friends is allowed to attend.
No pall bearers are allowed due to the need for close proximity.
Cobo Community Centre is also the only place that an indoor funeral can be conducted, regardless of religious denomination, although Argent Funeral Services have been able to conduct a few private garden funerals.
Mr Vaudin added they remained alert to the possibility that somebody may have died of Covid-19 or be suspected as Covid-19 positive.
‘Guernsey police has arranged a special recovery team,’ he said.
He said although they had not seen an increase in deaths they had prepared themselves in case.
‘We bought in PPE before it became scarce,’ he said,
‘We were pretty well prepared when we went into lockdown, assisting the States of Guernsey with their pandemic by continuously planning.
‘My team here have adapted very well even within the office environment – we’ve planned work stations that are two metres apart or in separate rooms and I’m confined to working from home because I fall within the category of vulnerable people.
‘For the future we have even looked at the possibility of live streaming a funeral and it is something that we would consider.’
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