Nurse's Daughter Wrapped in Plastic for Reunion With Mom as Precaution Against Coronavirus

An emergency nurse in Cabanatuan, the Philippines, saw her daughter for the first time in almost a month recently, but the little one was covered in plastic for the reunion, as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

Footage captured by Marissa B Soriano shows Marijoy Villanueva Malaca hugging her three-year-old daughter, Skyler Faith, as she wears a plastic sheet to separate her from her mom.

Speaking to Storyful, Malaca said, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic … I decided to move out.” She feared being a carrier of the virus and didn’t want to risk infecting any of her family members. Being unable to hug her daughter while staying only a short distance from her was “hurting me a lot,” she said.

Malaca got the idea of putting a plastic bag over her daughter before hugging her after she saw a police officer doing the same thing the day before.

As of Thursday, April 16, the Philippines had reported 5,660 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 362 deaths. Credit: Marijoy Villanueva Malaca via Storyful