Should pro Cuddlers be required to get certified and tested Post COVID-19 shelter in place restricti

[Deleted User]Bles (deleted user)
edited April 2020 in Professional Cuddling

As measures continue to manage and control the impact of this virus it is useful to consider what the ensuing six months to 1 year might hold after shelter in place restrictions have been lifted. Especially while a viable and effective vaccine is being created.

Especially in an industry that operates on as much physical contact as cuddling does. This is an industry call.

Given that there is little that is known about how the virus sheds itself in the human body and evolve in it's cellular mechanisms over time. As well as how immunity is built up against it from one person to another. The following question came to my simple yet imbecile mind:

Should the cuddling industry begin to regulate itself by requiring all its professional Cuddlers to be certified and tested Post COVID-19 shelter in place restrictions?

Who would do the regulation and what would it look like?

What is the cost/ benefit ratio of doing this?

What would be the desired goal long term?

Comments

  • If the cuddling industry was going to regulate certain things, I would start with recurring bad behavior on the parts of clients and creating meaningful blacklists, not this.

    But if we got to that point, perhaps an opt-in situation where you could post on your profile if you had been tested recently by a certified testing facility of some sort. If it was something clients were looking for, then pros would definitely shift towards it.

    (Opt-in because if it was required and was something clients didn't care about and was simply an extra burden for pros, then everyone would shift to a different site without those requirements.)

  • Short answer, no.

    Long answer, there is no system set in place to account for or require cuddlers to do, well, anything, including getting tested for a virus. In addition, there is no governing body that dictates what the standard definition of what a Professional Cuddler even is, let alone mandating them to be tested for any contagious diseases. The fact of the matter is that at this point in the industry, it's pretty much the wild west. Also, this particular matter isn't an industry call at this point, this is a government call. The government has mandated shelter in place orders and to violate that, especially with cuddling, is reckless and irresponsible, and puts you and your client/cuddler at risk.

    That being said, at this point in time, I would find it to be unethical to do any kind of testing (unless you actually display COVID symptoms) to go get tested as you are taking away from those who are in actual need of it. Shelter in place is there for a reason, so we don't interact with one another and continue to spread the virus. There is no asterisk for people who want emotional and physical comfort nor for Professionals who want to keep seeing clients. This virus didn't spread by suddenly infecting hundreds of thousands of people overnight. It spread from one person, to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next, meaning if you cuddle with someone, even just one person, you run that risk of catching or transmitting it.

    I understand that as Professional Cuddlers we want to help our clients and bring platonic intimacy to the world, and I too want to be able to ease people's loneliness, especially in this time. However, in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic such as this, it seems immoral to want to conduct business the way we are use to instead of doing our part to reduce the spread by maintaining social distancing, even if we had been tested negative. I understand how difficult it is to not be able to see your favorite cuddler/client, but there is a much greater job and responsibility we have right now as human beings which is to maintain physical distance and stay inside.

    I also want to add that just because you may have gotten tested last week doesn't mean you haven't been in contact with someone who has it since then. It also doesn't mean that the virus won't mutate further and create strains that someone may not be immune to. It's not the fun answer here, but until there is a vaccine or treatment or some other way to get a handle on this thing, I think cuddling with someone you're not already in quarantine with is highly unethical. And yes, that will probably be months from now, but the longer people violate shelter in place orders, the longer we have to wait in quarantine.

    Okay, PSA over, keep safe and healthy y'all, sending much love and light <3

  • @inparadise Just clarifying the the original post was talking about AFTER the shelter-in-place restrictions were lifted. 😇

  • @ubergigglefritz HA! Thank you for pointing that out, I was clearly feeling very passionately yesterday :p

    In that case, most of what I said still stands: there is no industry regulation for even being a Pro Cuddler (let alone having everyone be tested), and tests wouldn't account for if you were exposed to the virus after you had been tested.

  • Yep, you are right about both those things. I was too tired to fully reply, just wanted to clarify the part which seemed to be misinterpreted. I can also get pretty passionate about this stuff. It's getting rather frustrating some people's attitudes. =(

  • @ubergigglefritz Agreed, I appreciate you taking the energy to reply as much as you did! I was definitely feeling frustrated with so much talk of people still cuddling during this time or not seeing the problem with doing so

  • [Deleted User]chococuddles (deleted user)

    Oh @Bles you're so cute.

    Go ahead and place COVID-19 testing up there with cuddling certifications.

    For the record the regulations would need to begin with some pros, not the clients.

  • [Deleted User]Bles (deleted user)
    edited April 2020

    @chococuddles I thought "industry" involved professionals colloborating among themselves. Whenever I speak of an "industry" regulating itself I'm referring to the professionals within it working together on some level to establish and maintain standards and practices across the board in the way that each professional handles himself or herself. Market driven concerns relate to client demands and affordability. I was not referring to "industry" in terms of client demands and needs.

    Although in many ways the way some pros handle themselves is directly related to what their clients request and can afford. But that was not my interest. That's a whole other topic of discussion.

    But really the discussion is not only needed "among some pros" but all professionals who are authorized to accept money to cuddle. This is about pros protecting an industry that allows them to live .

    Perhaps the broader discussion needs to be had around how an industry self regulate. How does an activity of work done on an expansive and expanding level get state licensure ? What is involved in that process? What criteria is used to deem a "trade" worthy of that status? What makes a " profession"? What qualifies a "profession" as one that meets state or federal requirements for one level of certification and/ or licensure or the other?

  • Unless everyone who has close contact with the public has to have a covid19-free certification then no.
    Hair stylists..dental hygienists ...massage therapists...anyone who gets close to you would need that.....and I doubt it will happen.
    Just wait til there's a vaccine...then there will be no need for such a ridiculous thing

  • On top of that, just because you have a certificate or something saying you’re good, doesn’t mean you can’t suddenly get the virus the very next day. It’s just safe to avoid any physical contact for a little while.

  • edited April 2020

    No that would be like saying anybody in a service driven industry where you come into close contact with the public should be tested. There would be no tests for people who are symptomatic and the testing facilities would not be able to keep up.

  • Testing is very limited in the US due to supply shortages, so unfortunately that wouldn't be possible here. As a pro cuddler at a brick-and-mortar establishment, but not on this site, we concluded months ago that cuddling had to be suspended. I have a special cuddle buddy pro there also, and it was a very hard decision to make. However, think of all the people that are sheltering in place, how long they've gone without personal contact. I think there will be a great increase in both enthusiast and pro cuddling as areas are proven safe.

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