Chinese nurse comforts crying 9-year-old daughter with an 'air hug' after being separated for a week

Putting the nation's need first.

Sumita Thiagarajan | February 06, 2020, 05:53 PM

Many stories on the sacrifices that healthcare workers make have been highlighted online and circulated around as confirmed cases of novel coronavirus continue to increase across the globe.

Especially those at the epicenter and in China generally, where most cases have arisen.

Many of them are also keeping a distance and reducing direct contact with their families to safeguard their loved ones from the coronavirus.

Heartwarming exchange between mother and daughter

Most recently, in a video by Xinhua News, the Chinese state media shared a story of a nurse and her daughter meeting for the first time after over a week's time.

The mother and daughter have been separated due to the mother's profession as a nurse fighting on the front line against the coronavirus.

The video was captured in front of the Fugou County People's Hospital in Zhoukou, Henan Province.

The exchange happened between a Chinese nurse, Liu Haiyan, and her nine-year-old daughter, who have not seen each other for seven days since the first day of Chinese New Year.

As the Chinese nurse wished to eat dumplings, she texted her husband who brought his daughter to the front line to send her the dumplings.

To prevent cross-infection, the mother and daughter stood a few metres apart and gave each other an 'air hug' before the daughter placed dumplings on the floor and moved away for her mother to take it.

You can see the story unfold in the screenshots below:

photo of nurse and daughter unable to reunite Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

photo of nurse and daughter unable to reunite -2 Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

photo of nurse and daughter unable to reunite -3 Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

photo of nurse and daughter unable to reunite -4 Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

photo of nurse and daughter unable to reunite -5 Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Reactions from Twitter users

Xinhua News shared the video on Twitter and a number of users were moved by the video, saying that they teared up over the video and cheered the family and the nation on:

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Other users praised the nurse and other health workers as being brave:

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

A small group of users wondered if it was staged and accused the video of being 'propaganda':

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

Screenshot via Twitter/China Xinhua News

You can watch the full video here:

Related stories

Top photos via Twitter/China Xinhua News