When will it be safe to hug again?
As lockdown restrictions ease, when will it be safe to hug our loved ones again?
Last updated 20th Apr 2021
With close social contact increasing the chance of spreading Covid-19, experts have been warning against hugs since the outbreak of the pandemic in the UK last year.
Millions of us have already gone months without hugging our loved ones, but with around 5,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the UK every day and 37 million people still to be vaccinated, the question remains as to when it will finally be safe to hug again.
Hugging shouldn't happen until cases as "very very low"
According to the former chief scientific advisor to the Government, hugging should not be on the cards until cases are "very very low".
But what exactly does "very very low" mean?
Unfortunately, the answer isn't quite as straightforward as we might have hoped.
When asked this very question, Professor Sir Mark Walport replied: “Well, how long is a piece of string?"
He expanded on his answer, highlighting that rates were not yet at a stage where close social contact could be deemed safe.
He said: “As I say, it’s significantly lower than we’ve got at the moment, you know 5,000 cases a day is roughly where we were at the end of September, and certainly if this was on an upward trajectory we would be pretty worried at the sorts of numbers.
“Somewhere around 0.3% to 0.4% of the population across the UK on any day being infected – that’s the prevalence of the infection.”
"Please don't do the hugging" plea
His comments come as further lockdown restrictions are eased in England, which include the reopening of outdoor sports venues and the reintroduction of the Rule of Six outside.
Speaking on Monday, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston echoed the words of Professor Sir Walport, saying: "Please don't do the hugging."
He added: “I want to hug my mum as well – politicians are human beings too and we’re as desperately keen to do this as everybody else.
“At the moment the message is still be cautious."
Driving home his point, Mr Huddleston said that hugging loved ones would only put them at further risk of contracting the virus.
Here are some of the key lockdown moments from the past year:
Boris Johnson announces national lockdown
At 8pm on 23 March 2020, Boris Johnson gave a televised address to the nation instructing everyone to "stay at home". By this date, 1,000 people in the UK had already died from Covid-19. During his speech, he talked of the threat that Covid-19 posed to the NHS and warned hospitals risked being overwhelmed if action was not taken. He encouraged people to join together in a national effort to fight the virus, concluding with the by now well known strap line: "stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives".
Clap for Carers
Three days after the Prime Minister introduced the stay at home restrictions, people around the UK came out onto their doorsteps at 8pm to clap in recognition of the carers who were fighting the virus on the frontline. This Clap for Carers took place every Thursday at 8pm for 10 weeks.
Nightingale Hospitals
The first emergency Nightingale hospital opened at the ExCel conference centre in London on 3 April 2020. It was the first of seven to open across England, while Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all had their own versions of these hospitals. Many of these hospitals were never needed and have now been closed or repurposed as mass vaccination centres.
Prime Minister in intensive care
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care with Covid-19 on 6 April 2020, where he spent three days being treated. He was discharged from hospital on 12 April 2020.
Captain Tom Moore
99-year old Captain Tom Moore completed 100 laps of his garden on 16 April 2020 ahead of his 100th birthday, eventually raising over £30 million for the NHS. He was knighted by the Queen in honour of his achievements and was named a pandemic hero by the public. He sadly died at the age of 100 in January 2021.
NHS Rainbows
NHS Rainbows thanking the staff who battled the virus on the front line popped up in windows across the country. The pictures aimed to bring hope and positivity when people were struggling.
Testing Covid-19 vaccines
At the end of April 2020 Oxford University launched a trial testing a potential Covid-19 on human participants.
Changing slogans
The Government changed the slogan for England on 10 May 2020 to read "stay alert, control the virus, save lives". However, devolved Governments Scotland, England and Wales opted to keep the previous slogan, "stay home, protect the NHS, save lives" in place.
The Dominic Cummings scandal
It was revealed that Dominic Cummings, one of Boris Johnson's chief advisors, had broken lockdown rules and travelled across the country from London to Durham while having Covid-19. During his stay, he made a now famous trip to Barnard castle by car to check his eyesight. The trip caused huge controversy among the public and media, which led to Dominic Cummings holding a press conference on 25 May 2020 to explain his actions.
First easing of restrictions
Restrictions in each devolved nation started to ease for the first time in early summer 2020. Despite each country moving at a different pace with slightly different rules, measures were slowly relaxed to allow people to meet outside and even to permit small groups to gather inside. Businesses also reopened in a Covid secure manner.
Local lockdowns
By midsummer, local lockdowns were being reintroduced across the UK. Leicester was the first city to go into a localised lockdown at the end of June. Similar measures were imposed in Aberdeen in August following a surge in cases.
Tiers system
Each nation in the UK took a different approach to managing the ongoing crisis. In October 2020, Boris Johnson introduced a three tier system in England, by which areas were assigned tiers as according to their rates of Covid-19. The tiers were divided into Medium, High and Very High and restrictions varied by level.
Scotland also introduced a tiers system in October, however it was composed of five tiers ranging from 0, living as close to normal as possible without a vaccine, to 4, close to another lockdown.
Instead of tiers, another national lockdown was imposed in Wales in October to curb the rapid increase in cases.
Meanwhile, an extended October break for schools was announced in Northern Ireland as well as the closure of businesses including bars, pubs, restaurants and hairdressers as cases continued to rise.
November lockdown
England entered a one-month long national lockdown in November 2020 in an attempt to slow an increase in Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, Wales emerged from lockdown and Scotland continued to use the tiers system. At the end of November, Northern Ireland reintroduced tougher restrictions for a period of two weeks. Schools were allowed to remain open however the restrictions were otherwise similar to those seen in October.
The worse excuses for breaking lockdown
Lockdowns have led to many people breaking the rules for various reasons. Fines have been handed out for travelling hundreds of miles for a chippy and to party hosts who claimed they didn't know about the pandemic because they don't watch the news. You can read about the most bizarre excuses for breaking lockdown here.
First vaccine
In December, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial, marking a momentous moment in the world's fight the defeat the pandemic.
Christmas plans change
Less than six days before Christmas, the Prime Minister held a press conference informing the public in England that initial plans to ease restrictions over Christmas would be scaled back, following the discovery of a new, more contagious variant of Covid-19, known as the Kent variant. This variant quickly became the prevalent strain of Covid-19 in the UK.
Wales imposed a national lockdown from 20 December, but allowed people to meet on Christmas day.
Scotland similarly allowed small-scale mixing on 25 December, however also scaled back original plans to ease restrictions on each side of Christmas.
Northern Ireland reduced the planned five days of Christmas bubbling to one day only and introduced a national lockdown from boxing day.
January lockdowns
Following a surge in cases around the UK over the festive period, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon introduced a second lockdown in the country on 4 January 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson quickly followed suit, imposing lockdown measures in England later that evening. Both countries moved slightly later that Wales and Northern Ireland, who had introduced lockdown restrictions on 20 December 2020 and 26 December 2020 respectively.
100,000 deaths
The UK's Covid-19 death toll officially reached 100,000 on 26 January 2021. This statistic was based on those with Covid-19 on their death certificate and does not include deaths caused by issues related to the impact of the pandemic.
Captain Sir Tom Moore dies with Covid-19
Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised millions for the NHS during the pandemic, died with Covid-19 in February at the age of 100. To recognise the national treasure, Prime Minister Boris Johnson led a nation wide clap in the veteran's honour.
Roadmaps out of lockdown
Each devolved nation will follow their own plan for easing restrictions. On 22 February 2021, Boris Johnson held a press conference setting out the key dates for the easing of restrictions in England. Administrations in Scotland, Ireland and Wales have similarly published plans by which they hope to ease restrictions. The first steps towards easing restrictions has taken place in each of the four countries , with children back in schools to varying degrees and some meetings outdoors permitted.