The COVID-19 pandemic came abruptly, changing our lives in the most chaotic of ways overnight. I can still recall the earliest days of it all, when the term “COVID” was trending on social media, when it was only China’s problem and not a global crisis. Even when schools and businesses were put on lockdown, the magnitude of the situation did not fully occur to me until I fell upon this picture on Twitter.

At first glance, the photograph displays a toddler holding his hand out to a man, who stands on the other side of a glass sliding door, his hand pressed up against the boy’s. It is easy to infer that the man is most likely the father of this boy, and he is a doctor, as indicated by the wearing of green scrubs. Though the picture is quite simple, there is a lot that can be unpacked from the visuals, specifically from the timing of the photo, the hand-placements, and the size difference of the son and father.

This photo was posted on March 28, 2020. Back then, there was very little to be known about COVID— it was fast-spreading, and it was deadly. The climate of March 2020 was one of fear and unease, and this picture seems to reflect that atmosphere while also spreading happiness. Alyssa Burks, the wife of the doctor in the photo, posted this picture on Facebook, stating, “He [her husband] is working right now in a rotation that has him all around the hospital, including the ER, and he just felt like it would be responsible for us to quarantine from each other.” Front-line workers showed bravery throughout the pandemic by facing the unknowns of COVID, and this picture truly reflects the sacrifices which they all have made.

Another thing to note is the hand-placement of the father and son. The picture captures the boy ‘high-fiving’ his father’s hand through glass. This represents how family can united, even in the most difficult of times. Although the two are separated by a sheet of glass, they manage to ignore it, spreading their palms out in order to share a touching (no pun intended) moment.

Finally, the contrast between the small toddler and the father provide deeper meaning to this photo. The juxtaposition of various ages demonstrates how every single person in this pandemic is being affected— from young infants to healthy adults. This ties in well with the last analysis point, that even though we are in an unfortunate event, we are all in this together, (gloved) hand-in-hand.