Holding hands

[Toria84]

I take my son to a weekly agility type class.

Today we were asked to do an activity in a circle which involved holding hands and moving in a circle together.

The class leader asked before we did it if everyone felt comfortable (8 adults 8 kids)
Everyone said yes so I kind of went along with it.

I didn’t really think much of it, but now, I feel a bit uncomfortable with it.

I will be taking him again next week but I’m not sure how I feel about doing this.
I don’t want to be the only one to say no. 😣

Just wash your hands after. Unless you hold hands with someone and then lick your hand then I don't think it's any riskier than standing next to someone. Covid is airborne so you're more likely to catch it if someone coughs or sneezes at the class.

Why did you not feel comfortable? If you don’t want physical contact with another person that’s entirely your call and no-one should try to force you. I don’t like touching strangers either.

However if it’s solely because you are worried about Covid transmission, you really need not worry. It cannot be transmitted through your hands, and so all you’d have to do is wash them before you eat or touch your face. Also, evidence now suggests that surface transmission of Covid really isn’t a big risk, and it’s primarily spread by aerosols. So unless your class is outdoors or in a really draughty room you’re much more likely to get covid via the airborne route.

Presumably it was just your kid and someone else’s?
Bit of surreptitious hand gel if you are really that concerned!

@WiseUpJanetWeiss

I guess I just feel a bit uneasy about it.

To be fair it was another child’s hand that I had to hold, my son on one side and a child on the other.

We all felt quite close together and I was really aware of the optional risks of transmission.

Potential - not optional

Well you have four reasonable options:

• get over it
• mostly get over it, but bring some pocket hand sanitizer and gel your hands immediately afterwards. (I’m sure no one will mind).
• ask to sit out just for that activity
• stop taking your son to the class.

Please don’t go for option 5, which would be to try to shut down the activity for everyone else. It’s a nice thing if people/ children are able/ feeling comfortable to hold hands again.

Not sure what the difference is between holding hands or being close doing an activity given it’s mainly airborne. Upto you if you feel the risks of catching covid outweighs the activity.

Holding hands? Seriously? Is your kid in school? Do you think kids aren’t sat closely together, playing closely together, working closely together? Assembly squashed in the hall? He’s far, far, far more likely to catch an airborne virus in school or indeed, from the air of the agility class. Not holding hands 🙈

@Bobholll

Holding hands? Seriously? Is your kid in school? Do you think kids aren’t sat closely together, playing closely together, working closely together? Assembly squashed in the hall? He’s far, far, far more likely to catch an airborne virus in school or indeed, from the air of the agility class. Not holding hands 🙈

@Bobholll

He’s at nursery.

Maybe try cbt. We've been programmed and conditioned to fear other people for 18 months. You just need to reprogramme yourself.