Quarantined travellers who went to Christchurch funeral were kept away from other attendees

Quarantined attendees of a burial at Christchurch’s Memorial Cemetery were kept well away from others grieving.

By Blair Norton

Lamb and Hayward Funeral Directors chief executive Stephen Parkyn says the nine or 10 quarantined, masked attendees who arrived with a Canterbury District Health Board escort were kept separate, around 50 metres away from around 150 others who attended.

As a separate group, they were also allowed to scatter petals and dirt on the casket without mingling with other people at the funeral.

Earlier, Steve Parkyn had denied the group access to the actual funeral service attended by 250 people when officials couldn’t provide even basic details about the group.

Mr Parkyn says it made no sense to allow access for people partway through their quarantine period to attend a funeral, especially when it was unclear whether they’d been tested or not.

He says funerals are often attended by elderly people who are sometimes compromised by health issues.