2 Sep 2021

Full Covid-19 vaccination a challenge for funeral directors

From Checkpoint, 5:16 pm on 2 September 2021

There is concern low vaccination rates among funeral directors could stop grieving families viewing the body of their loved one despite strict Covid-19 rules being loosened.

At alert level 4, funerals and tangihanga are banned with bereaved families forced to wait to say their farewells or in some cases have a virtual service.

But the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield signed off on new rules allowing whānau from the same bubble to view their loved one under strict conditions.

Chief executive of the Funeral Directors Association David Moger says funeral directors are facing a major challenge to meet criteria for funerals under the new level 4 rules that require staff be fully vaccinated.

“Across Auckland… we’ve got 40 staff with no vaccination, and 45 staff with one dose and waiting for their second one.”

Among funeral directors in the association across New Zealand, more than half of staff have had no vaccination, he said.

“We initially engaged with government back in March, to say that as funeral directors we wanted to be at the front of the queue, because of the various exposures that we have and also because actually the number of funeral directors across the country is quite limited. However, we were denied at that point.

“Our members are being creative around the country, one of our members has no vaccinated staff at all. So they have brought someone in who is fully vaccinated, trained them in the process that's necessary to ensure that families can come and do viewing safely.”