I previously wrote about Skin Hunger, the very real desire for human contact that sets in when we’ve been deprived of human touch for too long. It may sound funny but it’s a very real condition and it’s something that a lot of us have been experiencing as we quarantine for months at a time with no end in sight.
Thankfully there may be a solution in the works that will let us hug again: cuddle curtains!
As CNBC puts it:
“One of the hardest parts of the coronavirus pandemic for many people has been that social-distancing measures have prevented them from visiting or comforting elderly relatives.
But, enterprising individuals, and institutions, have been coming up with the next best thing to a ‘real’ hug: The ‘cuddle curtain’ — essentially, a big plastic sheet with improvised armholes that allow individuals to embrace without direct contact.
Needless to say, the inventions (often made out of shower curtains) have provided several tear-jerker moments on social media, with videos of family reunions and cuddles through curtains between old and young — and indeed any loved-ones separated by the coronavirus pandemic — going viral.
A retirement home in Belgium told Reuters on Thursday that its “hug curtain” has been a hit with elderly residents, allowing them to see and, more importantly, embrace, their visiting relatives for the first time in months after lockdowns prevented both visits and physical contact.”
As great as the cuddle curtain is for people enduring months of isolation it obviously can’t replace the real thing. Hopefully, we’ll develop a vaccine soon and get back to giving each old good old fashioned hugs once again. The way we were meant to.
Are cuddle curtains the Greatest Idea Ever?
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