OPINION: Funeral rule changes don't go far enough

Families have been denied an important part of the grieving process with funeral and tangi numbers remaining at 10.

Covid-19 has been a long hard road.

Mostly, Labour has steered us deftly towards an end destination, that we can now see in the distance shimmering on the horizon - an arrival point that is free of Covid-19 restrictions.

Freedom.

Normality. (The new 'normality' by the way - nothing will be the same again).

But this week, Labour hit a bumpy patch.

When it came to the 10-person limit applied to mourners at funerals under level 2, they got it wrong. The initial limit was hurtful to families and whanau grieving during lockdown, because the rule wasn't fair.

It seemed poorly thought through, and inconsistent compared against social restrictions under level 2.

On Thursday this week more than 10 people can gather in a cafe, as long as they are roughly 2m apart, seated and observe physical distancing.

Next week, pubs and bars can invite punters back in, again, 2m apart, seated etc.

Yet, at first, only 10 people were allowed to attend a funeral or tangi.

That changed on Wednesday, when the government, to its credit, announced that after feedback from the public led to a review, they had increased the number to 50.

It's still 50 people less than the 100 allowed in restaurants and sports events.

A funeral is likely to be attended by multiple "bubbles".

You are not required to physically distance from someone in your bubble, and under level 3 we have expanded our bubbles.

So multiple bubbles could attend a funeral, sit closely together, and still distance themselves from others.

Tradition and human nature compel us to embrace one another physically when we grieve - some well chosen words from a funeral director or celebrant could reinforce the rules.

No one wants to spread illnesses.

But even though we may not be able to touch, being able to see and speak to people who have gathered to support mourners is healthy.

It must be hardest right now for the direct family of people who have passed away. They can grieve within their small group, but are being prevented from feeling external love and support of others.

As a nation, lockdown has tested our mental health - it has been tough. Grieving is tough enough, but when done under extreme circumstances, it's really tough.

The 10-person limit at funerals lacked the logic of other social restrictions, and was a stick caught in the spokes of the grief cycle. The 50-person limit is a step in the right direction but still rates as a stumble.

It should be relaxed to 100, with strong, compassionate guidelines so that grieving families can heal.