PUBLIC NOTICE
Sec 5 (8) of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020, as amended, has now been rescinded allowing associated buildings at the Crematorium to open if it is possible while following government guidance that sets out clear, practical steps that businesses should take to ensure their workplaces are COVID-19 Secure.
The Book of Remembrance Room will be open from Monday 13th July 2020 with restrictions in place on the number of visitors allowed in the room at any one time and with a one-way flow to enter and exit the room. We ask that when visiting you read and follow the clear guidance that is displayed on social distancing and hygiene.
For those that are unable to visit but still wish to see the Book of Remembrance a digital version is available online on our website.
The Garden of Remembrance is open to the public but you must still continue to follow the strict social distancing guidelines when you are with anyone not in your household or your support bubble.
We resumed appointments to witness the scattering of ashes from Tuesday 21st July 2020. Information is available here on booking and restrictions that will be in place to attend.
Our Office remains closed to members of the public with the exception of us seeing visitors for witness of scattering appointments only. Any enquiries can still be dealt with on the telephone by contacting the Crematorium Office on (01329) 822533.
Service Attendance Advice - In order to comply with the latest guidance from the government, to ensure that the bereaved are treated with sensitivity, dignity and respect and any mourners and staff working are protected from avoidable risk of infection, the following restrictions apply at Portchester Crematorium:
- Alongside the Funeral Director, Chapel Attendant, and funeral staff only a modest number of close family and friends of the deceased may attend.
- Activities such as singing, chanting, requiring raised voices or playing of instruments that are blown into are not permitted.
- Where a family insists on the curtains remaining open we will accommodate these wishes but at the end of the service people attending are not to touch the coffin when leaving the Chapel. The placing of flowers on the coffin during or at the end of the service is not permitted.
- The family may be permitted to bear the coffin but it will be dependent on whether the Funeral Director is allowing it in line with their own risk assessments.
- All visitors using the chapels must wear a face mask or a protective face covering
- In order to restrict the number of mourners who attend so that a safe distance of at least 2 metres between individuals can be maintained, the following restrictions apply for the maximum number of attendees in our chapels:
South Chapel - The number of mourners is restricted to a maximum of 20. They need to be seated no more than 2 people to a bench, unless they are from the same household, and only every other row of seating should be used.
North Chapel - The number of mourners is restricted to a maximum of 10. They need to be seated no more than 2 people to a row of seats, unless they are from the same household. Seats in this chapel have been reduced and distanced to accommodate this.
Mourners are not permitted to stand and gather in the lobby/entrance to the chapels, these need to remain clear while services are taking place.
The limits on the number of mourners are the maximum numbers that should be attending the site for the service. It is not just a maximum number for entering the Chapels as anyone outside of these numbers then becomes a public gathering which is not permitted at the crematorium.
Please note that the contact information of any applicant/lead mourner arranging a cremation service may now be shared with NHS Test and Trace. Along with a name, contact phone number and date of visit, which we already collect for ordinary business, we will be collecting information on the number of people at the service and arrival and departure time in our chapels.
The Guidance also states that to ensure that organisations managing funerals are able to cope with the increased number of deaths, it is important that funerals are not delayed. We understand how difficult this will be for the families and friends of lost loved ones; however, the current guidance will be in place for the foreseeable future for the safety of the public.
For further advice for mourners on attending services at Portchester Crematorium our public notice can be found here.
Victoria Hatton
Crematorium Manager