Many of us didn’t touch during the pandemic. Is it safe to hug again?

Few things offer more physical comfort than hugs. It’s why people missed them so much.

Hugging not only feels good, but it has been shown to help reduce stress, strengthen our immune systems and help a person’s mood on days they’re experiencing conflict. Touch is a fundamental part of communication and well-being, and research shows when a person isn’t touched, they can develop “touch starvation” or “touch hunger,” which can increase anxiety and depression.

The pandemic deprived people of hugging at a time they needed it most.

The country is reopening, and vaccinated people have been told they can more or less return to pre-pandemic life. But not everyone is vaccinated, many people will never be and the youngest among us are still waiting their turn. What does this mean for people’s ability to touch?

“When we talk about touching, shaking hands, hugging, just the act of touching does not in and of itself increase the risk (of spreading disease),” said Robert Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. 

“It’s just an analog of close contact where there might be the opportunity for either droplet transmission or aerosol transmission,” he explained. “Is it safe? The challenge is that the answer varies.”

Hugging and the physics of transmission

COVID-19 spreads through droplets and aerosols, tiny particles that can suspend in the air that contain the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can either be breathed in or land on someone’s eyes, nose or mouth. When a person is closer than 6 feet from a person carrying the virus, they are more likely to become infected.

Resource:Your guide to COVID-19

Transmission can occur during activities such as coughing, talking, singing and yelling. Wachter said if the choice is between sitting closely and staring someone in the face versus hugging them, in terms of the physics of transmission, hugging may in some cases be safer. 

Here’s what we know

It’s safer if the unvaccinated person wears a mask, but hugging an unvaccinated person presents the same challenges as any other form of close contact. 

“It’s relatively safe for the vaccinated person because they’re so well-protected against COVID, but to me not safe enough to do without some considerable thought,” Wachter said. “The considerable thought is, ‘Is it worth it?'” 

Two 30-year-old friends meeting up for coffee, one vaccinated and one not, should avoid hugging if they can. The more common conundrum involves vaccinated grandparents and unvaccinated grandkids, many of whom are still too young to get the vaccine. 

“I think it’s worth it,” Wachter said. “There is a tiny risk, but the grandparent who’s vaccinated is unlikely to transmit to the kid. The kids don’t get sick very often and then in terms of the kid having it and transmitting it to the grandparent, that too is unlikely. When you factor in all of those things and how important that relationship is – hugging a kid, I say go for it.”

Experts don’t recommend hugging, kissing or touching large numbers of people – at a religious service, for example – if you don’t know their vaccination status. 

How to hug safely

Vaccinated people can hug as often as they’d like. When a hug occurs between a vaccinated person and an unvaccinated person, there are ways to ensure the hug is as safe as possible.

Ensure each person’s head is in the opposite direction. Don’t hug if one person is sick. William Schaffner, a professor and infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said for young, unvaccinated children hugging their grandparents, risk is minimized when the grandparent stays standing and the grandchild hugs around waist. 

Schaffner also encourages people to consider other forms of touch that reduce the likelihood of droplets reaching the nose or mouth, like a kiss on the head. And while a long hug is sometimes needed, if you’re hugging an unvaccinated person, briefer is better.

“I would back off right away. That way you have the physical touch but you don’t have prolonged contact,” he said.

Set boundaries around touch

Schaffner said planning who to touch and how to touch in advance can alleviate awkwardness. 

If you’re meeting someone you haven’t seen in a while, chat ahead of time about what both of you are comfortable with. If unvaccinated grandchildren are seeing vaccinated grandparents, the adults should be upfront about what’s OK and what’s not. 

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