In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic the world is trying to figure out new ways to greet one another by not being seemingly rude or grossed-out when refusing to shake people’s hand.
Psychology professor at Citrus College, Kenneth Guttman, brought to attention people needed to find a way to shake students’ and faculty’s hands when they attend his office hours.
The reality is coronavirus can be transmitted through physical contact.
There are many other ways to greet people that derive from different parts of the world.
The Indian custom ‘Namaste’, the ‘Thailand “Wai’, which is a slight bow down in front of one another with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion.
Also, the way a majority of what the Chinese are doing is the “gong shou” which consists of a fist over the palm and bowing down like most martial artists pay respect to one another.
People can also greet using the famous Vulcan Salute by Star Trek which consists of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger.
Or the simple peace sign if any of these get too difficult.
People have to be very cautious nowadays in case people or ourselves have a low immune system. Individuals need to take care of their own selves and follow health guidelines to prevent any contamination of COVID-19.
Some popular alternatives to greet your peers are the ‘foot shake’ or the ‘elbow bump.’ The ‘foot shake’ consists of tapping one’s foot with another and the elbow bump consists of bumping one’s elbow to another.
However, medical experts advise people to use the inside of elbows to cover mouths when sneezing in cases where one cannot find a tissue. Unfortunately, some new handshakes contradict the purpose of preventing the virus from spreading.
“Even these greetings place you within one meter or three feet from one another,“ Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopian doctor and the director-general of the World Health Organization said.
Ghebreyesus said he prefers to greet people these days by placing his hand on his heart. A church in the City of Glendora, St. Louise de Marillac Roman Catholic also recommends this method of greeting
The Center of Disease Control and Prevention said there are 9,371 confirmed cases in the USA, 153 actual deaths due to COVID-19, and 108 recoveries.
Ghebreyesus said the greetings are still very risky but polite for society.
