With over 125,000 excess deaths from Covid alone in the last year, we estimate that more than 750,000 people are deeply impacted by grief following the death of a loved one. That’s almost a quarter of a million people who have not been able to host a funeral for someone close in the way they, or the deceased would have wanted. If we continue to impose restrictions on mourners, we expect another 80,000 families to experience even more pain, distress and extended grief.

Not being able to hold a funeral halts the grieving process for many, as funerals can give a sense of acceptance and finality. Some communities do not have the resource to share funerals online, they may not be able to gather in a large communal space – this means many families will be robbed of the chance to say their final goodbye, or draw from the strength of their extended network in a way we are so used to doing.

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