Coronavirus: Brisbane kid asks Scott Morrison ‘When can I hug my granny?’

An eight-year-old Brisbane girl put Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the spot when she surprised him with an emotional question.

An eight-year-old Brisbane girl put Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the spot yesterday when she asked him how long it would be before she could see her granny.

The PM went on the Squiz Kids podcast yesterday to talk about coronavirus among other things and was blindsided when Claudia from Brisbane asked: “How long until I can hug my granny? I don't want her to get sick.”

Mr Morrison was thrown off for a second before saying he “really feels” for the young girl, adding: “It must be really hard.”

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison was put on the spot by an eight-year-old girl’s direct question. Picture: Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison then opened up about his own relationship with his grandmother to comfort Claudia.

“I really had a wonderful relationship with my grandmother when I was a kid, and I know how hard that must feel for you,” he said.

“(Since) you're not living in the same place … hopefully you're getting to talk to her. You can do that on Skype or something like that or FaceTime if you can.”

As for how long it will be before Claudia can hug her granny again, the PM couldn’t reassure the girl by giving her a definite answer.

"Look, I hope it won't be too long, but for now and for the months ahead, your grandmother is going to be safer by being on her own for a while,” he said.

Podcast host Bryce Corbett presented other children’s questions to the PM, including whether or not students will have to repeat a year due to missing classes, to which Mr Morrison replied “hopefully” not.

Other questions included one concerned child asking if supermarkets were going to run out of food, when a COVID-19 vaccine would be ready and why Easter camping had to be cancelled.

One child even asked if Mr Morrison liked being called ScoMo.

The PM replied: “I think that’s just fine.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

Squiz Kids is a daily news podcast for children that airs at 7am. Parents across the country have also taken to listening to it with their children as well as teachers in class each day.

Mr Morrison agreed to go live on air for a “kids-only, adult-free” Q and A.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have all had similar Q and A sessions with kids.

Listeners were asked to send in their questions to the Prime Minister, with Corbett and his team choosing the top ones to put to him.

"The questions from our listeners are a reminder that this is having an effect on young minds too," Corbett said.

"We hope the podcast goes some way to reassuring Squiz Kids' listeners that Australia is about as safe a country as it's possible to be in right now. And that we're not going to run out of toilet paper."