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Government to amend emergency coronavirus bill to stop cremation against families' wishes

Exclusive: Amendment to be tabled to respect the strict laws around burial in Jewish and Muslim faiths

March 23, 2020 13:38
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a daily press conference at 10 Downing Street on March 20
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The Government will amend its Coronavirus Bill on Monday to address concerns raised over the prospect of forced cremations.

The JC understands that legislation around enforced cremation will now be amended to respect the strict laws around burial in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

When it was unveiled last week as part of the Government’s emergency legislation to help tackle the spread of Covid-19, the Bill over-ruled the law that made it illegal for local Authorities to cremate bodies against their or their family's wishes.

But it the JC understands this section has been re-written to take into account the strict laws regarding burial in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.