May Morris, an 80 year old grandmother who became a widow during the pandemic on Christmas Day in 2019, has shared her account of hugging her grandchildren after a year. She celebrated her 80th birthday in lockdown. “We never thought this day would come. It has just been such a terrible time. We went into lockdown soon after, so you couldn’t mix with people just when you need people more at that time. My daughter and my son have been fantastic and such support but it’s upsetting when you can’t have the children near and give them a hug,” she told The Times. “It’s wonderful to see them unafraid to hug other people again, to explore and have fun,” she added.
Hugging was never banned but social distancing rules and the idea to protect the old from any probable infection was paramount, due to which many families isolated themselves from elderly members and took extra measures to safeguard them.
In Worthing, the town crier Bob Smytherman spent the day greeting people in his uniform, hugging and ringing his bell. “Our local café by the station could have customers back in for the first time,” he said. “I got to hug a few people outside, make a bit of noise and promote the reopening.
