With Wuhan being the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, local residents have found a novel to way greet each other- the Wuhan shake and it is fast becoming a viral trend.
It seems not only the common people even politicians across the globe are switching to the new handshake policy - but with some choosing the Wuhan shake also known as the Wuhan handshake or the elbow bump to greet each other.
People are concerned about shaking hands with each other as the highly contagious strain of coronavirus - COVID 19, spreads via air and by touching an infected surface.
Earlier this week, a video emerged that showed German Chancellor Angela Merkel trying to shake a German politician's hand, who simply refused while Chancellor Merkel quickly realized her mistake and appreciate the politician.
Later at the end of her speech to a group of businessmen, Merkel told that she was planning to be rude to everyone that evening."I'm not going to shake anyone's hand tonight," she said.
With Merkel rightly sticking to the no handshake policy, the novel way of greeting each other via the Wuhan shake is fast catching on.
A video this week from Lagos had Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, a Nigerian Politician and the current Governor of Lagos, do the 'Wuhah shake' with his deputy.
The video of governor Sanwo-Olu shake legs with his deputy during a visit to an infectious diseases hospital in Lagos has since then gone viral.
With the COVID-19 coronavirus strain spreading the world over, several countries known for their warm social life has requested its citizens to refrain. France has advised people to greet others at a distance rather than by shaking their hands or kissing them as is the custom in the country. in Italy also hugging and kissing are stronger parts of the culture but the country has asked the citizens simply maintain a distance from each other.
Health officials in Australia are encouraging people to give each other a pat on the back instead of a handshake or a kiss.
Dr Sylvie Briand, the World Health Organization's director of pandemics, has suggested several alternative ways of greetings instead of the handshake, including bumping elbows, waving and bowing with palms together in the Thai "wai."
"Let's stop shaking hands for a while. I prefer the traditional Southeast Asian hands-together namaste greeting, although the elbow bump is fun," Dr. Tom Freidan, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN.
