Six Steps Before I Even Consider Doing a Cuddling Session
Things are re-opening all around us now, and my phones are ringing and my email filling up with the same question: “When will you open up again?”
First and foremost, I do plan to open again. I know many that dabble in Professional Cuddling run into an ongoing issue in our field where people will suddenly disappear from Professional Cuddling altogether. If and when I stop doing one-on-one sessions, I will not do that. Why? Because I care about every single one of you.
I’m an engineer by education, so unfortunately, it’s too easy for me to dig into the information and not feel confident in taking the risk right now. “Ignorance is bliss” is not a motto I prefer to follow when it comes to something that’s scared Dr. Fauci shitless. I prefer to go with “knowledge is power” instead, and I’ve been closely following several experts over the past few months to educate myself as much as possible on the risks we’d be taking, what metrics would be most important to pay attention to, and what standards I would need in place to feel good about seeing you again.
Some might consider my standards overkill. I assure you, nothing I’ve seen emerging so far has given me enough confidence that the risk of getting sick or getting hospitalized is anything short of a dice roll at this point in time. My cuddle practice is touch and client-based, so it's nearly impossible to not run a serious risk of exposure. This is what I consider and what I have to think about to make me comfortable enough to re-open:
This is my litmus test:
What is my state government laws and when are they considering to re-open?
What does "testing" in my state mean?
Consider what is mathematically worst case scenario in your state?
Where have I been in the past two weeks for more than 10 minutes?
Have you been wearing the mask correctly whenever you're risked for exposure for COVID-19?
Is there anyone vulnerable to COVID-19 that my client or myself may be interacting with?
The following links I have mentioned:
https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america (you can navigate and find your state!)
https://www.fsmtb.org/media/2319/fsmtb20200519guidelinesforpracticecovid-19.pdf (massage therapist outlines for re-opening)
https://www.google.com/maps/timeline?pb