tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/coronavirus-and-personal-contact-83593/articlesCoronavirus and personal contact – The Conversation2020-04-03T12:42:22Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1338532020-04-03T12:42:22Z2020-04-03T12:42:22ZHow coronavirus has ended centuries of hands-on campaigning for politicians<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324679/original/file-20200401-23151-1fk1os2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C24%2C5387%2C3580&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bill Clinton displaying how not to social distance while campaigning in 1992.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/governor-bill-clinton-shakes-hands-at-an-unscheduled-bus-news-photo/144080085?adppopup=true">Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Opening a rally for Bernie Sanders in early March, Rep. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOiBG-ZJzjU">Ilhan Omar turned to the audience and asked people to hold hands with those next to them</a> in a show of solidarity.</p>
<p>But that was before the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/us/politics/coronavirus-2020-campaign.html">coronavirus disrupted politics as normal</a>. Now the rallies are gone and touching others is strongly discouraged.</p>
<p>American politics is often framed in terms of a simple voting contest. As a <a href="https://ucla.academia.edu/AndrewKettler">historian of the five senses</a>, I understand that the political process involves much more and should include discussions of legitimacy and human interaction, especially through the sense of touch. </p>
<p>Many now accept that a prolonged period of social distancing and self-isolation measures are necessary as America attempts to slow the spread of the virus. </p>
<p>Significant events have nearly all been canceled or postponed. Standard markers of the yearly cycle, like <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/us/march-madness-withdrawals-spt/index.html#:%7E:text=(CNN)%20The%20NCAA%20announced%20Thursday,spread%20of%20the%20novel%20coronavirus.&text=The%20men's%20Division%20I%20championship,since%20its%20inception%20in%201939.">March Madness</a>, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2020-season-delayed#:%7E:text=Major%20League%20Baseball%20has%20cancelled,created%20by%20the%20coronavirus%20pandemic.">spring training</a> and the <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/coronavirus-cancellations-hollywood-entertainment-covid19-1202215596/">summer movie season</a> have all been significantly altered. </p>
<p>But the profound effects of the novel coronavirus extend beyond entertainment and socializing. The change in tactile behavior - touch - we are experiencing as a result of the pandemic will greatly alter the function of our democracy.</p>
<p>The tangible distancing necessary to slow or contain the coronavirus is already affecting the country’s political rituals. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/us/politics/virus-primary-2020-ohio.html">States and parties are</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/2ec895cc5ec27745f9a1b33c091be7ca">postponing primaries</a>, the Democratic Party has pushed back its national convention, Congress is debating whether to go remote and political events at the local level are being canceled. </p>
<p>Meanwhile President Trump spends an increasing amount of time dedicated to the crisis and engages in daily briefings which he uses to both deliver updates and disparage critics of his response. And even Trump, a self-proclaimed germaphobe, has <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-professed-germaphobe-continues-shaking-hands-amid-coronavirus/story?id=69441047">lamented the impact coronavirus has had on handshaking</a>. </p>
<p>Coronavirus will greatly alter many aspects of politics during the 2020 election cycle, not least traditions of political touching.</p>
<h2>The king’s touch</h2>
<p>The use of bodily contact by politicians and leaders – either to convey warmth and trustworthiness or to legitimize claims to rule – has a long history. </p>
<p>In early modern Europe, <a href="https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/blog/touching-kings-evil-short-history">the tradition of the king’s touch</a> involved sick people being presented to royalty. The king would then place his hands upon the ill person in an attempt to cure the inflicted.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=626&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=626&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=626&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324676/original/file-20200401-23121-46aoop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Depiction of Clovis I using the royal touch to treat a subject with scrofula.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_touch">Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most of these cases <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25327201">involved the condition of scrofula</a>. Caused by tuberculosis, scrofula produces a large growth on the neck. Often, it clears up on its own and the tumors recede – giving the appearance that the king’s touch was curative.</p>
<p>The message being conveyed was that the monarch had special powers, that divine right – the belief that God provided the king the right to rule – was being displayed through the body of the king, who was able to heal the ill.</p>
<p>The modern tradition of kissing babies and glad-handing with supporters came later but still follows from the idea that those in power have types of charisma – <a href="https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/charisma">a word that originally meant a divinely conferred power</a> – that can be sensed through touch.</p>
<h2>Political touching</h2>
<p>As monarchies gave way to elected governments, touching remained a potent way that politicians retained their sense of legitimacy as a man or woman of the people. The handshake became a common way that American politicians, specifically, engaged with voters at a personal level. </p>
<p>Abraham Lincoln was well known for his constant political tours, often to the extent that the frequency of his glad-handing on the trips would make his <a href="https://theconversation.com/abraham-lincoln-joe-biden-and-the-politics-of-touch-115414">signature appear shaky on important documents</a>. </p>
<p>The handshake also became a staple of 20th-century party politics, whether in backroom deals or between politicians and their constituencies. The constant images of <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-11-22-1992327017-story.html">Bill Clinton shaking hands, patting backs and hugging different supporters</a> on the campaign trail in 1992 increased the sense of interpersonal trust that became so associated with the future president. </p>
<p>When to shake hands – and when not to – has also become subject to occasional political intrigue. On the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-strange-world-of-political-handshakes">debate stages of 2016</a>, Trump and his challenger Hillary Clinton appeared to skip with tradition and keep their hands to themselves. </p>
<p>The role of the handshake in legitimizing and conveying trust will <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/politics/handshake-washington-coronavirus-change/index.html">fade during this election year</a>.</p>
<h2>Turnout fears</h2>
<p>And it isn’t just the behavior of politicians that will be affected by the outbreak this electoral cycle.</p>
<p>Coronavirus and its restrictions on touching will change how people turn out to vote. Fears over <a href="https://apnews.com/9838633df6c0ed597228d81eaae3a8ce">crowds at polling places and concerns over keeping polling machines, pens and ballots free of the virus</a> will combine to keep people away. </p>
<p>The virus will, no doubt, affect the outcome of elections, as turnout will decrease. In modern American politics, low turnouts <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/voter-turnout-scott-walker/">usually help conservative candidates</a>. And this new threat may further assist keeping turnout low. </p>
<p>The pandemic may also turn polling into a vote-by-mail exercise. But even that that has been subject to concerns, with <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-04/washington-state-fights-coronavirus-spread-tells-voters-not-to-lick-mail-in-ballots">Washington state warning voters not to lick envelopes containing their mail-in vote.</a> </p>
<h2>Digits going digital</h2>
<p>Even with these many changes to political traditions, touch will not be removed from the 2020 election, as the sense will increasingly be felt through the touch of a screen or keyboard at home. </p>
<p>A political world that shifted heavily to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/30/internet-memes-white-house-election-president/91272490/">message boards and memes during the 2016 election</a> will likely further enter social networks and more anonymous digital spaces. </p>
<p>The loss of touch in standard American politics may further the partisan divide, as individuals isolate from interpersonal human interaction that can often overcome hardened ideologies. Politics as normal may be gone for a while, but the fight over who should hold power will remain.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133853/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Kettler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Coroanvirus has ended politics as normal. What will campaigning look like without handshaking, high fives and the kissing of babies?Andrew Kettler, Ahmanson-Getty Fellow, University of California, Los AngelesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1336832020-03-19T12:13:31Z2020-03-19T12:13:31ZHow to stop touching your face to minimize spread of coronavirus and other germs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321197/original/file-20200318-60879-13jvni3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C314%2C9103%2C5558&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Touching one's face is natural, but it spreads germs. There are ways to stop. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-tired-fatigued-people-who-hurt-1422481487">Josep Curto/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Public health officials consistently promote hand-washing as a way for people to protect themselves from <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html">the COVID-19 coronavirus</a>. However, this virus can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032">live on metal and plastic for days</a>, so simply adjusting your eyeglasses with unwashed hands may be enough to infect yourself. Thus, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html">the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> and <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public">the World Health Organization</a> have been telling people to stop touching their faces. </p>
<p>We are experts in psychological science and public health. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4fblZnAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Brian Labus</a> is an expert in communicable diseases who knows what people should do to avoid becoming infected. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YZJ3e-AAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Stephen Benning</a> is a clinical psychologist who helps clients change their habits and manage stress in healthy ways. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Imi7MlEAAAAJ">Kimberly Barchard</a> is an expert in research methods who wanted to know what the research says about face-touching. Together, we used our clinical expertise and the research literature to identify the best practices to reduce face-touching and lower people’s chances of catching COVID-19.</p>
<p>People touch their faces frequently. They wipe their eyes, scratch their noses, bite their nails and twirl their mustaches. People touch their faces more when they are <a href="http://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1996.29-259">anxious</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.1037/a0015766">embarrassed</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2014.1000878">stressed</a>, but also when they aren’t feeling anything at all. Studies show that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.10.015">students</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15459620802003896">office workers</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/health/stop-touching-your-face-coronavirus.html">medical personnel</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/201911102027">people on trains</a> touch their faces between nine and 23 times per hour, on average.</p>
<p>Why is it so hard to stop? Face-touching rewards us by relieving momentary discomforts like itches and muscle tension. These discomforts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2009.09.001">usually pass within a minute</a>, but face-touching provides immediate relief that eventually makes it a habitual response that resists change. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1236376144221360128"}"></div></p>
<h2>Change habitual behaviors</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(73)90119-8">Habit reversal training</a> is a well-established behavior modification technique that helps people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.03.013">stop a variety of seemingly automatic behaviors</a>, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2605-3_10">nervous tics</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(80)90086-8">nail-biting</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7916(95)00009-o">stuttering</a>. It trains people to notice the discomfort that prompts their habits, select another behavior to use until the discomfort passes and change their surroundings to lessen their discomfort.</p>
<p>You may have already changed some of your other habits – for example, by coughing into your elbow instead of your hands, or greeting others with a bow or wave instead of a handshake. But unlike coughing and hand-shaking, people frequently touch their faces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213677">without being aware of doing so</a>. So the first step in reducing face-touching is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7916(95)00009-o">becoming aware</a> of it. </p>
<p>Each time you touch your face, notice how you touched your face, the urge or sensation that preceded it and the situation you were in – what you were doing, where you were physically or what you were feeling emotionally. If you usually don’t notice when you touch your face, you can ask someone else to point it out. </p>
<p>Self-monitoring is more effective when people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025">create a physical record</a>. You can create a log where you briefly describe each instance of face-touching. For example, log entries might say:</p>
<p>• Scratched nose with finger, felt itch, while at my desk</p>
<p>• Fiddled with eyeglasses, hands tingled, frustrated</p>
<p>• Rested chin on palm, neck sore, while reading</p>
<p>• Bit fingernail, nail caught on pants, watching TV</p>
<p>Self-monitoring is more effective if people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025">share their outcomes publicly</a>, so consider sharing your results with friends or post it on social media. </p>
<h2>Create new responses</h2>
<p>Now that you are aware of the behavior you want to change, you can replace it with a competing response that opposes the muscle movements needed to touch your face. When you feel the urge to touch your face, you can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035744">clench your fists</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2011.11.001">sit on your hands</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2009.09.001">press your palms onto the tops of your thighs</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17626502">stretch your arms straight down at your sides</a>. This competing response should be inconspicuous and use a position that can be held <a href="https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2001.34-517">for at least a minute</a>. Use the competing response for as long as the urge to touch your face persists.</p>
<p>Some sources recommend object manipulation, in which you occupy your hands with something else. You can rub your fingertips, fiddle with a pen or squeeze a stress ball. The activity shouldn’t involve touching any part of your head. For tough-to-break habits, object manipulation <a href="http://ijps.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijps/article/view/190">isn’t as effective</a> as competing responses, perhaps because people tend to play with objects when bored, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1996.29-259">touch their faces and hair when anxious</a>.</p>
<p>Learn more about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17626502">breaking the itch-scratch cycle</a>. </p>
<h2>Manage your triggers</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618821893">Changing your environment</a> can reduce your urges to touch your face and your need to use alternative responses. Use your log to figure out what situations or emotions are associated with your face-touching. For example:</p>
<p>• If your glasses keep slipping off your nose, you can use ear hooks or <a href="https://www.seventeen.com/beauty/a32099/simple-hack-to-stop-glasses-sliding-down-your-nose/">hair ties</a> to prevent slippage.</p>
<p>• If you bite your nails, you can use a file to keep your nails short, or wear gloves or fingertip bandages, so that nail-biting is impossible. </p>
<p>• If allergies make your eyes or skin itch or make your nose run, you can limit your exposure to allergens or take antihistamines.</p>
<p>• If you get food stuck between your teeth, you can brush your teeth after each meal.</p>
<p>• If your hair gets in your eyes and mouth, you can use an elastic, scarf or hair product to keep it back.</p>
<p>You can read more detailed information about <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-a-habit-when-to-worry-about-nail-biting-skin-picking-and-other-body-focused-repetitive-behaviours-102263">habit reversal training</a>.</p>
<h2>Face it, you may not be able to stop</h2>
<p>Most people cannot entirely eliminate unwanted habits, but they can reduce them. Consistent with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131438">the principles of harm reduction</a>, just reducing face-touching lessens the opportunities for viruses to enter your system. </p>
<p>Sometimes you need to touch your face: flossing your teeth, putting in contact lenses, wiping food off your lips, putting on makeup or shaving your jaw. Remember to wash your hands first. To adjust your glasses without first washing your hands, use a tissue and throw it out immediately after use. Avoid finger food and using unwashed hands to put food into your mouth. Wash your hands first, or use utensils or the wrapper to handle the food.</p>
<p>Other ways you can reduce the spread of infectious diseases include practicing <a href="https://www.publichealth.va.gov/docs/flu/pandemic/fs6-flu-factsheet.pdf">social</a> <a href="http://sbenning.faculty.unlv.edu/2020/03/12/social-spacing-not-social-distancing-deepening-connections-while-staying-safe/">spacing</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html">washing</a> hands thoroughly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seA1wbXUQTs">with soap and water</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xC-_7ZiQoY">hand sanitizer</a> and disinfecting high-touch surfaces regularly. When your hands touch contaminated surfaces, though, the suggestions above may help you avoid touching your face before you wash them again.</p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-daily">Our newsletter explains what’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe now</a>.</em>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133683/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen D. Benning has previously received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health. He is a board member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Labus has previously received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberly A. Barchard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Studies have shown that some people touch their faces as often as 23 times an hour. Some studies have also shown that face-touching spreads germs, such as the coronavirus. Here are some ways to stop.Stephen D. Benning, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las VegasBrian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las VegasKimberly A. Barchard, Professor of Quantitative Psychology, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1330372020-03-06T13:01:48Z2020-03-06T13:01:48ZLove in the time of the coronavirus: Do you turn your back when someone offers you a hand, a kiss or a hug?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318975/original/file-20200305-106568-u60ukm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C12%2C4280%2C2804&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, right, bumps elbows with a worker at the seafood counter March 3, 2020, in Seattle's International District.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Virus-Outbreak-Washington/71004379cdf54685b00708552cd57d72/2/0">AP Photo/Ted S. Warren</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Editor’s note: The toll of the coronavirus grows, with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/05/coronavirus-live-updates/">California under a state of emergency</a>, and more than <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/05/coronavirus-live-updates/">150 cases and 11 deaths reported in the U.S.</a>. Also, more than 300 million school children worldwide are facing closures of their schools. What does this mean for you in your personal life? We asked Brian Labus, professor of public health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, about what kinds of physical contact are safe while COVID-19 is spreading.</em></p>
<p>We are exposed to numerous viruses from our day-to-day interactions with other people all the time. However, our risk of being infected by a simple greeting usually isn’t in the forefront of our minds. </p>
<p>The spread of COVID-19 has changed that. <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/culture/article/No-handshakes-Conferences-ban-touch-due-to-15100036.php">Conferences have banned handshakes</a>, churches have <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-concerns-shake-up-routines-at-south-bay-churches/2247950/">changed their worship services</a>, and even <a href="https://www.thelocal.de/20200302/merkel-avoids-handshakes-as-germany-coronavirus-cases-reach-150">politicians</a> have changed the way they greet each other. But what’s the risk in a simple hug or a handshake?</p>
<p>If someone’s hand is covered in virus because they coughed into it right before they shook your hand, it is no different than handling their dirty tissue. Your hand is now contaminated, and if you absentmindedly rub your eye or touch your mouth, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/well/live/coronavirus-spread-transmission-face-touching-hands.html">you have potentially just infected yourself</a>. You are relying on other people to wash their hands in order to protect you, but we know that people are terrible about hand-washing, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/do-you-really-need-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-toilet">even after using the bathroom</a>. </p>
<p>The simple fact is that we put ourselves at some risk of infection every time we interact with other humans. So what should you do if a stranger extends their hand to greet you or a friend tries to hug you? Pulling your hand away from that potential big sale or recoiling in shock from your friend’s embrace is probably not the best approach. It’s about balancing the risk of infection with the negative consequences of breaching social etiquette. </p>
<p>Health experts <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/01/france-urges-people-to-stop-double-cheek-kisses-to-prevent-coronavirus/">around</a> <a href="https://www.thelocal.it/20200304/no-more-kissing-and-over-65s-stay-home-italys-new-coronavirus-guidelines">the</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/03/the-end-of-the-handshake-saying-hello-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak">world</a> have been recommending that people reduce unnecessary physical contact with other people, such as shaking hands or kissing on the cheek. Even the French have recommended no <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/03/france-coronavirus-threatens-cherished-tradition-cheek-kissing/">cheek kissing</a>. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-yd2CKH31Hg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Wuhan shake, and a few other suggestions.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You can still greet each people warmly and politely without touching them, by bumping elbows or fists, tapping feet (<a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/02/wuhan-shake-greeting-goes-viral-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/">the “Wuhan shake” popular on social media</a>), simply waving hi, or one of the many other <a href="https://mashable.com/article/coronavirus-best-handshake-alternatives/">creative</a> suggestions that are popping up online. This isn’t about making extreme changes to our social interactions; it’s about taking simple steps to help reduce your risk of disease. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3PmVJQUCm4E?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Hand-washing is serious business, and a key part of preventing the spread of disease.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The other important step in protecting yourself is to frequently <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html">wash your hands</a> or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. This is a critical part of protecting yourself, as you can’t introduce a virus into your mucous membranes if you have removed it from your hands. </p>
<p>As this outbreak progresses, maybe we will see the refusal to shake hands not as a snub, but as an expression of genuine concern for each others’ health. If you are worried about offending someone by using hand sanitizer after shaking someone’s hand, offer them some of your sanitizer as well. Change the conversation and help make having clean hands something that not only important to you, but socially desirable as well. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Labus previously received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p>At least temporarily, a kiss is no longer just a kiss. It could pass coronavirus. Even the French have suggested a ban on their traditional greeting. An expert explains why this is necessary.Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.