Belgium creates the figure of the 'hugging couple' for confinement: everyone can have one; singles, two

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It's called

and it literally means "hugging couple."

It is one of the measures instituted by the

government

for the new

: everyone can have one and single people can have two.

A novelty designed to help people cope with the second period of confinement, which began on November 2 and will last until December 13. Since the start of the pandemic, Belgium has reached 500,000 cases and more than 13,000 deaths from

, but

According to health authorities, the second wave of hospitalizations has already reached its peak.

He was clear when announcing the second lockdown: "We want lockdown, not isolation."

And the hugging couple is designed just for that: each member of the family has the right to have one, those who live alone can have two, but beware, the objective of confinement is still to minimize physical contact between people.

Therefore, meetings with

they have their rules.

Few but strict, affirms

the website of the Belgian government where the measures are detailed

: "All family members have the right to a hugging partner. Families can invite them home one at a time and when they are present no other visits can be received."

The same happens with those who live alone: ​​"In addition to the hugging couple, you can invite another person, but never at the same time." The solution launched by Belgium takes up the

or "bubble of support" already introduced by the British government during the first lockdown and also valid for the current one. The basic concept is the same: allow people to get together with someone outside their family even during lockdown and minimize the risks;

but the rules are different.

First, there are limitations to choosing bubble mates: those who live alone or with minor children can bubble with another family unit of any size, but those who live with other adults, including their own family members, can only join their bubble to Singles who live alone and are not part of another bubble People with children under 14 have one more opportunity: in addition to the support bubble, they can also form one for the care of children, although the members of the two bubbles should never match.

The Government also recommends choosing people who live nearby to avoid unnecessary trips. For the rest, the members of a bubble do not have great limitations: they can visit and stay for the night, they can go out together and they do not have to keep social distance. And if you want to change the bubble?

This is the strictest rule: as the Government indicates in its official guidelines, once you join a bubble you cannot form another.

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