A UK city council has said all funerals must now be ‘cremation only’ with no mourners allowed in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
Leeds council has taken unprecedented measures to restrict funeral arrangements as the UK battles the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a total of 3,983 cases and 177 deaths.
Starting with immediate effect from today, any new services booked in Leeds will be undertaken as ‘Direct Cremation Services’ only.
A direct cremation is a funeral which is not attended by mourners and has no service.
The council is enforcing the rule as part of the government’s social distancing guidelines to manage the impact of the virus.
From immediate effect, no new bookings will be taken for chapel funeral services – but previously booked services will go ahead as planned.
“The British Muslim community are very concerned about any plans to cremate the bodies of Muslim victims of this disease. Such actions are against the beliefs of all Muslims and we require assurances that cremation of Muslim bodies will not occur under any circumstances,” the petition states.
Source: Yahoo
