• A son hugs his father at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. The clinic created the Tunel do Abraco (hug tunnel) for elderly residents to be able to hug relatives after more than 70 days apart due to the coronavirus pandemic. Getty
    A son hugs his father at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. The clinic created the Tunel do Abraco (hug tunnel) for elderly residents to be able to hug relatives after more than 70 days apart due to the coronavirus pandemic. Getty
  • A daughter hugs her mother at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. Getty
    A daughter hugs her mother at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. Getty
  • A nurse cleans the Tunel do Abraco at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. Getty
    A nurse cleans the Tunel do Abraco at the Geriatric Clinic Três Figueiras in Gravatai, Brazil. Getty
  • A woman embraces her mother through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
    A woman embraces her mother through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
  • A woman embraces her nephew through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
    A woman embraces her nephew through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
  • A woman embraces her son through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
    A woman embraces her son through a plastic device after three months without a hug at a home for the elderly in Valencia, Spain. EPA
  • People get ready at a hug station at The Minc company in Malmoe, Sweden. The hug station was created so that those working at Minc would have the opportunity to give each other a hug, protected by a sheet of plastic, before going on vacation AP
    People get ready at a hug station at The Minc company in Malmoe, Sweden. The hug station was created so that those working at Minc would have the opportunity to give each other a hug, protected by a sheet of plastic, before going on vacation AP
  • Yannika Ehde, right, gives Hassan Moghaddam a hug, at a hug station for coronavirus times, outside The Minc company in Malmoe, Sweden. AP
    Yannika Ehde, right, gives Hassan Moghaddam a hug, at a hug station for coronavirus times, outside The Minc company in Malmoe, Sweden. AP
  • Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Pérez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the new coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. Even when it comes wrapped in plastic, a hug can convey tenderness and relief, love and devotion. AP
    Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Pérez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the new coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. Even when it comes wrapped in plastic, a hug can convey tenderness and relief, love and devotion. AP
  • Agustina Cañamero, 81, and Pascual Pérez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the new coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. AP
    Agustina Cañamero, 81, and Pascual Pérez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the new coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. AP
  • Isabel Pérez López, 96, receives an embrace through a plastic film screen from her visiting son-in-law Jose Maria Vila, 69, at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. AP
    Isabel Pérez López, 96, receives an embrace through a plastic film screen from her visiting son-in-law Jose Maria Vila, 69, at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain. AP

World

Coronavirus: 'Hug tunnels' allow families to embrace during the pandemic - in pictures

Clinics and hospitals are finding innovative ways to ensure patients can enjoy contact with their relatives in safety

The National

June 24, 2020

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