Large funeral services in Dunedin have had to be cancelled or changed.
It follows the move to Covid-19 Alert Level 2, which limits gatherings to 100 people.
Gillions Funeral Services business manager Elizabeth Goodyear said a funeral service that was planned for today was cancelled only a day in advance.
There could also be more to come, due to the ‘‘rapidly developing’’ situation.
Planning for services that involved elderly people or people who were travelling in order to attend would be more difficult, particularly as rest-homes went into lockdown, she said.
‘‘For elderly people it just makes it really difficult and really sad.’’
However, Ms Goodyear was confident many funerals would not be affected under Level 2.
‘‘We certainly had many funerals under Level 2 last time ... we can manage that pretty well.’’
Hope and Sons funeral services manager Andrew Maffey said several large public services planned for the rest of the week had needed to be changed.
The families were given the option to go ahead but reduce the gathering size to 100, or to delay.
All had decided not to cancel and to instead adjust their plans to meet restrictions, he said.
A funeral Hope and Sons held yesterday at 12.30pm in Dunedin, half an hour after Level 2 restrictions began, had 100 people attend who were counted as they entered the chapel.
Mr Maffey said the funeral service was well prepared to operate under the alert level restrictions.
‘‘It is nothing too new, but it did come a bit out of left field.’’
