WHO Encourages Adoption Of “Alternative Greetings” Like The “Elbow Tap” And “Foot Shake” To Fight Coronavirus

As humanity struggles to “adapt” to the coronavirus outbreak, which has suddenly introduced a patina of sinister risk to mundane activities like greeting a friend or visiting the supermarket, the Yon Loo Lin School of Medicine has published a ‘new greetings’ guide to help people in virus-stricken communities learn new greetings like the “elbow tap”, “foot shake” and, of course, the “wave.”

Dr. Sylvie Briand, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic, tweeted a screenshot of what appears to be a new WHO guide to these ‘alternatives’ to the cheek-kiss and the handshake, popular greetings throughout the world.

We need to adapt to this new disease #COVID19 https://t.co/SiCL6dX2dQ

— Dr Sylvie Briand (@SCBriand) March 1, 2020

We’ve mentioned this issue a few times in recent days. Videos shared on Twitter suggest that the ‘foot shake’ is gaining popularity in Iran.

In Iran, using legs instead of hands to greet each other, in fear of corona virus outbreak.#Coronavirius pic.twitter.com/wAYXyA6gtS

— Azhar Al-Rubaie | أزهر الربيعي (@AzherRubaie) February 23, 2020

Walter Cotte, the regional director of the international federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent for America and the Caribbean, shared the guide on twitter.

pic.twitter.com/iPWbN82jsX

— Walter Cotte W. (@waltercotte) March 1, 2020

The final pane on the comic-format graphic encourages readers to develop their own greetings.

Funny, we thought of one: