With New Zealand entering Covid-19 Alert Level 2 yesterday, it’s advised the country still keeps physical contact with strangers to a minimum.
Now all the bubbles have been effectively burst, there are still some rules around social distancing.
Hugging and smooching are taboo but a Kiwi touch expert says some will have found the lockdown challenging, with touch something many people will have been missing.
“There's a huge segment of our population that are really touchy feely,” says Terri Ewart, who specialises in the subject.
She says it will have been "really challenging for some" because certain people find touch regulating and calming.
“It’s really supportive of their general mental health and so that's why touch is so important for us,” she told Seven Sharp.
But without it, “it causes stress and anxiety and is not a particularly nice place for us to be”, she says.
Now that the country is in Level 2 and are able to see our loved ones again, we need to remember that touching can be a ‘touchy subject’.
“Some segments of our population will be fine, they'll be able to go straight back into contact with other people - but there is another segment where that'll be a scary thing,” Ms Ewart says.
“So when we go to touch people we need to know both parties are in consent with that.”
While consent sounds serious, it’s all about body language and simply asking, she says.
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