Hugging a tree in Israel to beat the coronavirus blues

Can't embrace friends and family these days? Hug a tree instead. That is the message Israel's Nature and Parks Authority is spreading on social media to try to help people overcome the sense of detachment that coronavirus social-distancing rules can bring. "In this unpleasant corona period we recommend to people around the world to go out to nature, take a deep breath, hug a tree, express your love and get love," Orit Steinfeld, the authority's marketing director, said in Apollonia National Park. After flattening a coronavirus infection curve in May, Israel has experienced a spike in new cases over the past several weeks. Israel's tree-hugging campaign follows a similar endeavour launched in April by Iceland's forestry service.