London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

How to cautiously hug in the pandemic, now that it will be allowed in the UK

How to cautiously hug in the pandemic, now that it will be allowed in the UK

Human contact is back -- modified for the pandemic, of course. And while you may not be rushing back into shaking hands or doling out high fives, there's likely one show of affection you've been craving: hugs!

Yep, we can hug each other again. Next week, UK officials will give residents the green light to resume "cautious hugging." It's curious guidance for Brits, who are famously reserved, but it's a milestone that benefits both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people who've missed physical touch during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What exactly constitutes "cautious hugging," and who needs to exercise caution, is less clear. While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not released guidance on hugging yet, we asked two physicians in the US who've followed Covid-19 since the beginning -- CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen and Vanderbilt University infectious diseases professor Dr. William Schaffner -- about what a safe snuggle looks like.

"If an unvaccinated person wants to hug someone else, I think they should wear a mask," Schaffner said. "And make it brief."

If you're fully vaccinated, though, you have even fewer guidelines when it comes to contact. Here's how the experts say you can keep yourself safe while embracing.

What a 'cautious hug' looks like


A cautious hug is one that's outdoors, without face-to-face contact, that doesn't last very long, the physicians said. Anyone who's unvaccinated should use caution when hugging someone else, and they should wear a mask while doing it.

Kids who aren't eligible for the vaccine yet (and are short enough) can hug their vaccinated loved ones around the waist, though they should skip the slobbery kisses. Keeping their face away from the face of the person they're hugging is key here, Schaffner said.

Unvaccinated teens probably won't want to crouch down to hug anyone, so they should keep a mask on while they hug and tilt their face away from the person they're hugging, he added.

Vaccinated people can hug with less caution, the doctors say


Vaccinated people who've missed physical touch are in luck: They can hug each other with abandon, both experts said.

"Fully vaccinated people can hug one another without restriction, including indoors, without masks," said Wen, who's also a visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

That goes for all vaccinated people, too. You can hug your vaccinated parents and grandparents for as long as you'd like, but you can also hug an acquaintance or a new romantic partner, as long as you know they're fully vaccinated -- which means it's been two weeks since their second shot (or only shot, if they got the Johnson & Johnson) -- she said.

Fully vaccinated people can also enjoy extended periods of physical contact, Schaffner said: "I think two vaccinated people can sit on a couch together, shoulder to shoulder, enjoying a bowl of popcorn and being fond and affectionate together."

Whoa.

That was unthinkable even a few months ago.

And that's just one perk of vaccination, Wen said.

You've followed social distancing guidelines for the last year, you've worn your mask and stayed away from loved ones outside of your household. Now that you're fully vaccinated, you can resume hugging and sharing snacks with the people you care about.

The exception here is if you want to hug an immunocompromised person or someone who may not receive the full immunization benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine. You should follow the cautious hugging guidelines when giving them a squeeze, Wen and Schaffner said.

And if you're not ready to hug anyone yet, that's OK, too. Cuddling up to someone you love was unthinkable even a few months ago, and it's a dramatic change from the way we've been living since March 2020. Take post-vaccine life at your own speed, Wen said.

So, if you're comfortable, bring on the bear hugs, the awkward don't-know-if-we-should-hug hugs, the hugs that start with a sprint into each other's arms, as long as you do so with care and safety in mind. If you've done your part to stay safe, you've earned it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×