Hugging- Can someone clarify this for me

[Samsen]

Hi. I know BJ said we are still to keep socially distant when meeting inside with family members, but what about the rule they announced 2 weeks ago about single people/parents and their kids meeting another household, as they were allowed to hug grandparents or other family members. Am I right in thinking that in my case it’s not ok for me to hug my parents or for my kids to hug their grandparents but it’s ok for my dsis and my nephews to hug them because my dsis is a single parent and has previously formed a bubble with them? If so I don’t quite understand the logic.

[Bol87]

Problem is OP, it can’t be linear & obvious. It’s too complicated. The idea is those who have been living alone have had no hugs or socialisation with anyone for weeks. Thus, the rule is meant to ease some of that burden. Those living alone is a smaller percentage of the population.

Those who live with others presumably have been able to hug husbands, wives, children. And had actual company. So for now, the suggestion is we maintain a distance indoors to lower the risk while the virus is still circulating. If we could all just go back & hug, then we aren’t taking cautious steps. So start with those who need it most & then, hopefully by August it can be applied to all of us.

Does it seem ‘fair’, perhaps not. But this isn’t a very fair scenario we find ourselves in & we have to navigate out carefully!

[Bol87]

*im not counting children as ‘company’ 🙈 there’s a big difference between spending 24/7 with a child & 24/7 with an adult! I love my kids dearly but I’d have seriously struggled not to have company from another adult!

[Samsen]

Not everyone living alone has been lonely though. I have friends who have had family round throughout lockdown and not in the garden. Where as I’ve had no one in my house or in my garden. My dsis works in direct contact with vulnerable people so is more high risk than me and my dh who have been working from home for the last 3 months.

[amicissimma]

I think that the guideless are being left vague to try to encourage us to start thinking for ourselves.

With regard to hugging, we can each do our own risk assessment. How dangerous is it if one of the people involved catches CV? How likely is it that someone involved has it? Ie how many other people have they been in contact with and how close, how many infected people are there in the community they live in? How important is it for the people to be hugged; perhaps they've been all alone for weeks, or perhaps they've been with family members who've hugged them.

Even those who are at particular risk if they catch CV should be allowed to weigh up the pros and cons themselves. Someone with a terminal cancer diagnosis, having chemo, may feel that he'd like to spend his last days/weeks/months/years in close and hugging contact with the ones he loves and maybe die sooner. Another may prefer to hold out for the longer but more isolated life.

[IrenetheQuaint]

There has never been any law against hugging. People just need to make their own risk assessments.

[Angelonia]

Maybe in your specific case it doesn't make sense OP, but the guidelines can't consider every individual situation. Would you agree that in most cases a single person will be more in need of physical contact than someone who has spent lockdown with their partner?

[ashmts]

@Samsen Well then your friends haven't been abiding by the guidance? If you wish to continue being responsible then you'll decide to continue following the guidance. If your sister lives alone they're her support bubble. Your DH is yours.