With so much debate on how a cuddle session with Covid-19 precautions should look like, and how those precautions would impact the quality of the cuddling, I find myself wondering if there is a simpler and safer alternative for the time being, other than virtual sessions which lack the touch aspect altogether.
We know the main way the virus spreads is in droplets in our breathe through our nose and mouth, it's not as likely to spread through physical touch. Factors such as physical distancing and the amount of time spent in close contact with someone else play a huge role in the likelihood of virus transmission if either person is unknowingly infected.
With that in mind, it seems to me it would be a low risk to meet someone for a brief, yet thorough, hug for 5 minutes or less with masks on outdoors or a well-ventilated indoor space. It is safer because you don't have to worry about the extra elements of beds/couches/other furniture being cleaned/sanitized before and after every session. You can change clothes and/or shower after sharing a hug and have that be all you need to do. A traditional hug doesn't have your faces align, your face is on the shoulder of the person you're hugging, the other person's face is on your shoulder on the opposite side of where your face is. Add the masks and the limited contact time and I feel like that's probably the safest you can possibly be while sharing closeness and touch with another person right now. That certainly couldn't ever replace a longer and more traditional cuddle session the same way virtual sessions can't. However, I feel like sharing a masked hug is better than nothing during this extremely uncertain time. It can be enough to recharge your soul and your sense of human connection that we all need so desperately in times like these. It'll also still give you that dopamine rush that occurs when we have skin to skin contact.
What does everyone think? Pros would you ever be open to coming out with a rate for a hug and being hired for this?