"Please Stop Touching Babies' Feet" Parents Worry About COVID Transmission [Reporter Han Visits]

Parents fret over COVID-19 and germs as they touch baby's feet and stroke head, calling the baby cute
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society: "High-risk infants have increased risk of severe progression"

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] # A man in his 30s, Mr. A, recently visited a large supermarket with his 2-year-old baby and had an unpleasant experience. While shopping, an elderly couple approached and touched the baby's feet, saying how cute the baby was. Mr. A expressed his frustration, saying, "With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, I worry about germs being transmitted to my child." He added, "I don't understand why people touch babies without parental consent," raising his voice, "They say it's because the baby is cute, but it's really unpleasant."

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, concerns about infection are rising due to some people still not following preventive measures like handwashing. In particular, disputes have arisen when some individuals touch babies' feet or other body parts while the parents are holding them, often with unclean hands.

Since babies are in the process of developing their immune systems, exposure to such situations can lead to health deterioration, so special caution is necessary.

Recently, a post titled "People who touch babies because they are cute are very unpleasant" was uploaded on a mom's cafe. The author complained, "I was waiting at a crosswalk near my house to cross the street when someone reached their hand close to my child's face." They continued, "I blocked the hand and told them 'Don't touch,' and the situation ended."

Another mom cafe member said, "I am a mom of a O-month-old girl," and shared, "An elderly woman in the elevator said 'The baby is cute' and fiddled with her feet." She lamented, "I appreciate the kindness, but it doesn't feel very pleasant."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With the COVID-19 situation, voices of concern about babies getting infected through such physical contact are increasing.

According to the infant COVID-19 patient management guidelines released by the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, COVID-19 diagnosed in children generally shows relatively mild symptoms.

However, infants and children in high-risk conditions such as premature babies, those with chronic respiratory diseases, congenital heart disease, congenital immunodeficiency disorders, or cancer patients have a relatively higher risk of severe symptoms or progression to critical illness.

In summary, babies' bodies should only be touched with parental consent, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, touching should be avoided altogether. The act of touching babies just because they are cute causes conflicts not only in Korea but also in other countries.

In the United States, some parents attach stickers on strollers that say "Please don’t touch my baby." These stickers often include explanations like "What might be harmless germs to adults can be threatening to our child." This is to prevent disputes that may arise when strangers approach and touch babies because they are cute.

Meanwhile, the society stated regarding infant COVID-19 infections, "Infants under 3 months of age, children and adolescents with chronic lung disease, and those receiving immunosuppressive therapy who become infected with COVID-19 have a possibility of progressing to severe illness and must be hospitalized."

Especially when releasing pediatric and adolescent confirmed cases from isolation, it is recommended that the caregivers who took care of the confirmed patients also undergo diagnostic testing and confirm a `negative` result before being released from isolation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.