York Cemetery is to reopen to the public on certain days of the week.
The cemetery closed to visitors on March 25, in response to the coronavirus lockdown.
But grieving families and other members of the public will now be able to visit the site, after the government said cemeteries and parks could be open.
The Trustees of York Cemetery have arranged for the site to open for all three days of the bank holiday weekend from May 8.
And there are plans to open the gates to the public on weekends only after that.
Keep at a distance
Robert Jenkinson, a trustee, said: “I am pleased to be able to tell families with graves in York Cemetery that the government has now relaxed the Covid 19 regulation which prohibited public access to cemeteries apart from attending funerals and burials.”
He said staff will have special regard for health and safety issues, adding:
To protect the families attending our increased number of current funerals on weekdays, and the staff who maintain the cemetery during the working week, we have had to take the precaution of keeping them separate from those coming to visit their family graves and others who wish to appreciate the abundant flora and environment of the cemetery.
Most of the pathways in the cemetery are not wide, and we ask all our visitors to have regard for each other in social distancing.
Visitors will not be allowed to drive cars into the grounds – entry will be by the pedestrian gate at the main entrance in Cemetery Road only.
Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Local Government, said at a press briefing that councils should keep parks and cemeteries open, adding: “People need parks.”