Coronavirus: Five ways to make the hugging of loved ones safer in the time of COVID-19

Sally Jane Cutler, a professor at the University of East London, says: “Personally, my hug will be limited to my family members only, not outside. I think we should be careful about the very people we choose to hug.”

Professor Cath Knox, a member of the SAGE (Emergency Scientific Advisory Committee) that advises the government, adds that the risk depends on who the person is going to embrace.

She describes her feelings, saying, “I would feel anxious if we were eager to embrace all our friends every time we met them again.”

“And you will most likely not hug every person you know, and if you are going to hug someone, limit that to the very few close family members who truly appreciate their hug.”

And Frank Atherton, Wales’ chief medical officer, urges not to embrace everyone in large families that do not live in one home.

He says: “At the present time, infection rates have decreased a lot, and approaching one of your family members is now less dangerous, but for my part, I will be more careful when approaching strangers.”

The new government’s advice suggests that people should be more careful with people at risk of contracting COVID-19, and even consider not hugging elderly relatives, especially those who have not yet received a vaccine.

The length of time you spend in close contact with someone also makes a difference.

“Don’t prolong the time while communicating with someone face-to-face, but make it a short hug,” Atherton says.

Professor Knacks agrees, saying, “Don’t go on hugging too long and keep it short.”

The government explains its updated advice on hugging this point as well, noting that “prolonging close contact increases the risk of transmission, but remember that even short contact may spread Covid 19, and there is no specific time period that is completely safe for close contact with others.”

“Try to avoid meeting face to face,” says Professor Knacks. “You can tilt your face slightly from the face of the other person, and even wearing a face mask can help you stay safe.”

She explains: “The truth is that when you embrace someone, you become very close to them, and we are well aware that the virus is transmitted through breathing; and you are very close to the other person’s breathing at that moment.”

“The other thing, which seems very conservative, is the option to wear a muzzle while hugging,” says Professor Linda Bold of the University of Edinburgh.

And she adds, “If you want to do this while you are visiting a person who is at risk of infection in general, you must take care of hand hygiene and sterilizing them. When you touch someone, you are practically touching the things that that person touched.”

The experts have always been clear that the risks of Covid are less outdoors. The government’s advice on close contact also indicates that hugging loved ones outside is safer.

She adds that if the total number of people gathered indoors is up to six, as permitted from May 17, then make sure the place has good ventilation.

“Open windows and doors, or take other measures to let in lots of fresh air. The more fresh air inside, the faster any virus that travels through the air from the room will vanish.”

Fifthly: Rise up Perform an examination reveal injury

The government suggests that to make close contact safer, people should get themselves tested for the virus regularly, even if they don’t have any symptoms.

At the moment, test equipment could be obtained for free that he did not want.

The government says: “Symptoms of infection with the virus only appear on one person out of every three people, so one of them may transmit the infection to others without realizing it, so conducting the examination regularly will help reduce the potential risks.”

And if you are ablea To hug safely, here are its benefits:

Not everyone may be enthusiastic about the return of a hug, but if we look at it from the scientific side, it has many benefits.

“Touch is really fundamental to humans, and without it weakening our close relationships,” says Professor Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Oxford.

“The kind of touch that is most intimate – the arm around the shoulder, the patting on the shoulder, these kinds of behaviors intended for close friendships and family members, are very important … it makes us feel happy, satisfied and confident in others,” he says.

Touch is our first sensation to develop in the womb, and research has shown that physical contact with others can reduce the effects of stress and tension.

Professor Linda Bold says there are scientifically proven benefits of touching and “an intimate hug in particular”.

“We know through studies that it lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and reduces stress,” she explains.

Professor Dunbar says the reason humans need physical contact is because we evolved from higher mammals that care for one another.

Adding that although most of the fur that was on our ancestors’ bodies has faded and gone, humans make the same movements and on exactly the same nerve centers when they cuddle, cuddle, or pat each other’s shoulders.

Touch stimulates endorphins, chemicals in the brain that help you feel happy.