Council cemeteries to reopen to the public 

Cemeteries operated by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council will reopen to the public from 8am on Saturday 25 April 2020 following the decision by the Northern Ireland Executive to amend The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations.

The Council’s five cemeteries will reopen under their normal opening hours, however will be closed to visitors during funeral services and burials.

Cemeteries at Breandrum and Cross in Enniskillen, Dublin Road, Omagh and Fintona will be open to the public 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, while Greenhill Cemetery in Omagh will be open 8am-8pm, daily.

Visitors to cemeteries must follow social distancing measures, maintaining a distance of at least 2 metres from others visiting the cemetery.

Cemeteries will be closed to the public during funeral services with visitors who are not part of the funeral group asked to leave the cemetery 30 minutes before the funeral. Cemeteries will reopen following the departure of the funeral party from the cemetery.

Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Siobhán Currie, said:

“While the decision to close cemeteries initially was undoubtedly a difficult one, I welcome the decision taken by the Executive to reopen cemeteries, with the Council reopening its cemeteries with immediate effect.

I know that visiting the graves of loved ones is a source of great comfort to many people in our community and I am aware that not being able to visit the graves of loved ones particularly in troubled times has caused some hurt and disappointment over the last month.

We gratefully appreciate people’s cooperation when visiting cemeteries by following social distancing protocols and respecting the arrangements in relation to attendance at funerals and the temporary closure of cemeteries during a funeral service, as we all work together in our  fight against the spread of COVID-19.”

The Council’s five cemeteries at Breandrum and Cross, Enniskillen; Greenhill and Dublin Road, Omagh and Fintona were closed to the public on 30 March 2020 following the introduction of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 by the Department of Health.