People are baffled by a guide on 'how to hug cautiously' mentioned on ITV News - even newsreader Tom Bradby seemed taken aback:
On 17 May, England takes the next step in its 'roadmap' out of lockdown, meaning people can once again go inside a pub or restaurant, see a show at the theatre, and even hug one another.
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But with restrictions still in place, ITV shared a 'how to hug' guide on its website, much to people's bemusement. Even its own presenter's.
Informing viewers that they could find more information about hugging people on the channel's page, Bradby said: "If you want to know how to hug cautiously, as the Prime Minister suggested, there is a guide over on out website.
"That's maybe the most 2021 thing I get to read out all year, but we have it, a guide on how to hug safely."
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The clip has since been shared on social media, with people confused as to why, even during these times, you would need a 'guide' explaining how to hug someone.
Commenting on a post to Instagram, one user said: "If you have to look into how to hug safely then you have truly lost the plot."
Echoing these concerns, another quipped: "This one long April fools smh."
A third said: "This is just getting ridiculous now lol even the reporter has had enough."
But while it might sound silly, if you are unsure as to the proper etiquette surrounding people's personal space, let's have a look at some of the advice being offered to help keep people safe.
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Well, first of all, the virus is still out there, and scientists have warned we should be cautious before getting too close to people, even if we're allowed.
Sharing her personal perspective on the issue, Professor Catherine Noakes, a member of the Sage committee, told ITV News: "We have to remember that this virus hasn't gone away.
"While the cases are about where we were in September last year, we know what happened in autumn."
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However, she made the point that: "I think [if] people have been vaccinated and nobody's got symptoms, I think it's relatively low risk, hugging somebody who you know, your nearest and dearest."
Professor Noakes also warned that it was about where as well as who we hug, explaining that outdoors is always best if possible.
She said: "A very brief hug is probably really quite low risk but if the hug is then the precursor to you spending the whole afternoon in the same small space as each other, then that's probably where you're adding in your risks."
Other experts advised people to keep the hug as short as possible, making sure to be careful where they position their face.
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Later in ITV's guide, Professor Paul Hunter of Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, outlined how you should hug people who are not in your household or support bubble.
He said a 'polite hug, bear hug and back hug' is OK, a 'one-way hug' or 'buddy hug' should be fine as long as you watch where you put your face, and 'intimate' hugs should be avoided.
Also, if either of the people have signs of Covid, then obviously they should not be hugging one another at all.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: covid, Science, UK News, Coronavirus, ITV, Health, Covid-19
