As of today at noon, “mass gatherings” (defined in the DHS Order) of 50 or more people are banned.  Funerals and funeral homes are not exempted.  This does not mean that you cannot have funerals, it just means that the number of attendees must be limited.  As a person trying to run a business myself, I fully understand the frustration we are all feeling (I have had all my Court appearances in both Minnesota and Wisconsin for the rest of March cancelled by the court systems themselves).  I note that the DHS Order specifically applies to religious and worship gatherings, so there is no carve out for a funeral Mass, service, or equivalent.

I leave it to you as funeral service professionals and business people as how to communicate this to the families that you serve.  

Michael D. Sharkey, WFDA Legal Counsel