Craving a hug? Here’s how to safely greet loved ones during the pandemic, experts say

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t exactly been conducive to human contact.

At the onset of the outbreak, handshakes were replaced with elbow taps and foot bumps as more social distancing-friendly ways to greet one another.

Hugs became such a rarity that some families began using “hug curtains” — hanging sheets of plastic with sleeves on either side — that allowed them to hug their loved ones with a lowered risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

But as some states begin loosening restrictions, is it safe to hug? Experts say there’s no easy answer.

“You have to use your best judgment,” Bill Mullan, spokesman for Oakland County, Michigan, told Hometown Life. “No one can give a hard date of ‘On June 25 or Aug. 1 you can do this’… It will be a personal decision based on your circumstances.”

The coronavirus is believed to spread when a person comes in contact with the respiratory droplets of an infected person, particularly when they cough or sneeze. This is why guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying at least 6 feet away from others.

Of course, it’s impossible to hug someone from 6 feet away.

Dr. Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech University, calculated the risk of exposure to the virus during a hug using mathematical models from a Hong Kong study that explored “how respiratory viruses travel during close contact,” the New York Times reported.

By her estimation, the risk is reassuringly low, according to the Times, even if a person didn’t know they were infected and coughed.

Experts don’t know how many copies of the virus it takes to get you sick, but some estimate between 200 to 1,000, the Times reported. A typical cough can carry between 5,000 and 10,000 virus copies and most liquid lands on nearby surfaces, according to the newspaper. Only 2% of the cough liquid— or 100 to 200 copies — would be inhaled or land on a nearby person, according to the newspaper. Of those particles, only about 1% are likely to be infectious, the Times reported.

“If you don’t talk or cough while hugging, the risk should be very low,” Marr told the Times.

Other experts agree.

When asked about hugging moms on Mother’s Day, University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said it was largely OK, but not without some risk, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

She recommended washing your hands before the hug and wearing a cloth mask during, according to the newspaper.

“I think a hug or two done in a very safe way with your fabric mask on and your hands clean and after you’ve been very careful, may be OK, but I can’t promise that it’s going to be OK for everyone,” Landon told the Sun-Times. “But I can tell you that for me, it may be worth the gamble.”

Dr. Max Gomez wrote for WCBS to consider the length of the hug, your isolation habits and whether you or the other person have been sick or have a chronic illness, among other factors, the outlet reported.

He wrote that gloves and masks could help minimize the risk.

“Now we’re talking about playing the odds,” Gomez wrote. “If you are both wearing masks, both have gloves on and are wearing long pants and sleeves that you can wash later, then you’ve done everything you can to minimize the transmission of the virus during a hug. But you are still taking a chance.”

The rules change for people in high-risk groups.

Dr. Liam Sullivan told WOOD that it’s best to keep your distance from people over age 70 and others at high risk for serious complications due to COVID-19.

“Obviously, if you don’t feel well, it’s not a good idea to be around them at all,” Sullivan told the outlet, adding that you should still keep 6 to 10 feet of distance between yourself and high-risk family members, even if you’re feeling healthy.

He also warned against touching, hugging or kissing anyone outside your household, WOOD reported.

Marr agrees that the safest bet is to avoid hugs altogether, but if you’re craving human contact, she said to keep hugs brief, stay outdoors, wear a mask and avoid talking or coughing while embracing, the Times reported. You should also avoid hugging with your faces pointed the same direction, according to the newspaper.

Touch that is safer? Hugging with your faces pointing in opposite directions, letting kids hug you around your knees or waist and kissing a loved one on the back of the head are all lower-risk suggestions, the Times reported.