Families are delaying loved ones' funerals by up to six weeks in the hope COVID-19 restrictions will ease to allow more attendees, but a celebrant fears it could blow out further once vaccination statuses are required.
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Warrnambool-based funeral celebrant Emmalee Bell said she had conducted very small funerals throughout the restrictions.
"It is an exceptionally difficult thing for families to go through when they're already in the worst situation of their lives and they're having to make decisions around who can and can't come," Ms Bell said.
"That's putting extra pressure on families. How do you decide who to exclude and the implications of excluding certain people, and them not being happy about it."
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She said many families delayed funerals by between four and six weeks after death which took its toll with more time to second guess their decisions and for "family dramas to creep in".
Ms Bell said any increase in funeral numbers once the state reached 80 per cent double-dose vaccination rates - as detailed in Premier Daniel Andrews' road map this month - was welcome "but it's not a complete return to normality".
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Once the rate is reached, predicted to occur by November 5, 150 people will be allowed inside and up to 500 outdoors with an 'unknown vaccination status' of 20 people per funeral. Density quotients and venue caps will still apply.
"There's still going to be the issue of unvaccinated people who're unable to attend," Ms Bell said. "You can imagine a situation where the husband or wife of the person that has died is unable to attend the funeral because they're not vaccinated. What are you going to do?"
She said the funeral could be further delayed while they waited for people to be fully vaccinated. "It raises a lot of questions. I'm not anti-vaccination but there's a lot of complex emotional issues involved with that and how that will work at a practical level.
She guessed it would be the funeral home's responsibility to monitor vaccination statuses. "I certainly wouldn't want to be in a situation where a family member has to be ejected because they haven't got proof of vaccination. You're already dealing with people in very heightened emotional states," Ms Bell said.
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