VOA新闻杂志2024--New Zealand Puts Limits on Goodbyes

While emotional¹ goodbyes are common at airports, one airport in New Zealand is not having any of it.

Travelers at New Zealand's Dunedin Airport have a new three-minute limit to say goodbye at the airport's drop off area.

The goal is to prevent traffic jams at the travel center.

A sign warns: "Max hug time three minutes." Anything longer and people should go to the parking lot instead.

The limit was put in place in September to "keep things moving smoothly," airport chief Dan De Bono told the Associated Press. It was the airport's way of reminding people that the area was for "quick farewells" only.

The sign, however, has caused a big reaction on social media, De Bono said.

"We were accused of breaching³ basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for," he said. But others welcomed the change.

The signs were meant as a different answer to the problem. In Britain, airports warn of seizing vehicles with wheel clamps⁴ or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some British airports have fees for all drop-offs no matter how long.

De Bono said three minutes was enough time to "pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on." "The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it," he added.

De Bono added that a 20-second hug is long enough to release⁵ the hormone⁶ oxytocin, which is linked to feelings of well-being⁷ among other things. Anything longer is just "really awkward," said the chief, noting that there are no "hug" police.

However, visitors might be asked to move long hugs to the parking lot where they can stop at no cost for up to 15 minutes.

Words in This Story

drop off -v. (phrasal) to bring someone to a place where they are going and leave them there to continue their travels

max (maximum) -adj. the most possible

farewell -n. wishing a person a good, safe trip

breach² -v. to go beyond or outside of a limit or boundary

hormone -n. a substance made by the body that influences its processes

1 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

2 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

3 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

4 clamps   

夹具( clamp的名词复数 )； 夹子； 夹钳； 车轮锁

参考例句：

• Torsional microslip at the clamps results in spurious torques which act like pivot friction torques. 夹紧处扭杆的微小滑移会产生干扰力矩，它的作用和轴颈的摩擦力矩一样。
• I'll need some lap pads,forceps, metzenbaums and satinsky clamps. 我需要一些包垫，镊子，以及夹钳。

5 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

6 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。