Funerals in the time of COVID-19

Q&A Panel - Funerals during COVID-19

Only 10 mourners are currently permitted at a funeral, which means some family and friends miss out on saying their final farewells. In an Australian-first, Picaluna is ramping up its existing webcast services to a new level by offering professionally produced interactive online ceremonies alongside its current funeral options.

The GroundSwell Project, along with Picaluna Funerals held this informative discussion on what to do for a funeral in this time of COVID-19, and how will this effect the way we grieve and mourn into the future?

Summary of Discussion:

The restrictions have meant a huge pivot in the industry. This has lead to some challenges such as; 

• family members not being able to sit near each other and comfort one another

• People gathering outside the funeral location and sometimes police presence adding to the complexity of emotions on the day.

But these restrictions have also seen some benefits:

The limited numbers present have allowed people who normally would not feel comfortable speaking at a funeral to step into that and share

1. With less people there’s more opportunity for funerals in different venues where there is not the same kind of time limits so funerals can last longer and be more free-flow.

2. The development of Online Funerals: 

   • Different to live streaming, it is curated content delivered in a way that is designed for a digital audience. Includes messages from family members all around the world, video content, songs and photos are all put together in a format that can be watched live as a group or can be shared later and becomes a keepsake for the family.

   • Picaluna Funerals shared a short clip from one of their recent online funerals

   • An online funeral can be in place of a traditional funeral or as supplementary 

   • It is more cost effective than a traditional funeral as there are less associated costs such as; flowers, hearse, venue, catering etc

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