Coronavirus: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson considers final arrangements for father without church service, due to Covid-19 lockdown

The MP made his comments as he was speaking about the division in the Stormont executive parties over reopening cemeteries.

Mr Donaldson said he and his family were contemplating the final arrangements for his father. “It’s not an easy time,” he told the Nolan Show on Radio Ulster.

“We’re a big family, we’re a close family and it’s tough at the moment. There are many families in Northern Ireland going through this. There isn’t going to be a church service so it’s a very different scenario.”

Sir Jeffrey said he supported calls for cemeteries to reopen, saying his party has been contacted by members of the public and churches on the issue, and some had “heartbreaking stories” to tell.

“Having a funeral in this country, having a wake for example is a very important part of the grieving process for most people,” he said.

“It’s not just our family, it’s the wider local community that are impacted,” he said, revealing how his family had tried to communicate with his father through a window up until recently.

“I just ask that people think about the families that have lost loved ones in recent weeks... who probably feel isolated right now,” he added.

His party colleague, Minister for Agriculture Edwin Poots, also told the BBC yesterday that his father 90-year-old father, Charlie, condition had deteriorated after he fell at his home outside Lisburn earlier this month.

“He had been doing reasonably well but unfortunately he isn’t doing so well at the minute. It is a matter of concern for the family at this time,” he said. The hospital are doing “a superb job” of his care, he added.