Coronavirus: Safe, plastic, almost fantastic way to hug

North Americans have found a novel way to hug loved ones in the age of the coronavirus pandemic — through plastic.

Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo through a plastic drop cloth in Wantagh, New York. Picture: AAP

North Americans have found a novel way to hug loved ones in the age of the coronavirus pandemic — through plastic.

John and Ruth Sileo and Olivia Grant hugged their grandparents, Mary Grace and Domenik Sileo, through a plastic drop cloth hung up on a homemade clothes line to celebrate Memorial Day weekend on Sunday in the town of Wantagh on New York state’s Long Island.

Teenager John just two weeks ago held a drive-by graduation, elbow bumping his Wantagh High School history teacher through the sunroof of the (stationary) family car.

A Canadian woman has come up with a more hi-tech version of the hug glove to safely embrace her mother: a plastic sheet with four sleeves.

In the southern Ontario city of Guelph, Carolyn Ellis and her ­husband, Andrew, developed the so-called hug glove on the eve of Mother’s Day.

They taped plastic sleeves to a large tarp, allowing two people to hug without direct contact.

While a plastic-covered hug will never be as good as the real thing, it was still comforting — after weeks of lockdowns and other social-distancing measures — to be able to hold her mother again, Ms Ellis said.

The number of deaths in New York state caused by COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Sunday was 84, the lowest one-day total since late March, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “The news is good news,” he added.

Hospitalisations, intubations and new infections were all falling.

“In my head, I was always looking to get under 100,” he said.

“It doesn’t do good for any of those 84 families that are feeling the pain. But for me it’s just a sign we are making real progress.”

The toll is the lowest since March 24. At the pandemic’s peak in New York in early April, state officials were reporting up to 800 deaths a day, and daily tolls repeatedly surpassed 1000 when probable cases were included.

Parts of the state that suffered fewer cases have already begun to ease restrictions, but they have yet to be lifted in New York City, the former virus epicentre.

The city’s beaches were closed for the holiday weekend, which traditionally marks the beginning of the US summer. Beaches are being reopened elsewhere in the state, often with bathers required to observe social distancing.

AFP