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‘Hug curtain’ reunites Brazilian families amid pandemic

How a plastic ‘hug curtain’ allows families separated by the #coronavirus pandemic to reunite.

This video shows 93-year-old Dirce meeting her daughter for the first time in 70 days and hugging her through a “hug curtain” at a nursing home in Brazil. 

The plastic sheeting has made reunions possible between elderly residents and their families during the coronavirus pandemic. It was set up by a local businessman.

“It hit me seeing how hard it was for families and for the person who is confined,” Bruno Zani, the businessman said. “They could no longer meet. The nursing home was closed to visitors, hospitals were closed off.”  

Elisabeth and Suzana Lisboa also have been unable to meet their elderly father until now.

“Our lives were taken away,” Elisabeth Lisboa said. “We used to come here nearly every day to see Dad.” 

Although these are not normal reunions, staff at the nursing home say physical contact makes a difference.

People in other parts of the world, including a 10-year-old girl in California who wanted a safe way to hug her grandparents, have come up with similar ideas

This report was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Hassan Ghani.