(Bloomberg) -- Elbow-bumping was just beginning to become a thing -- even global leaders were doing it rather than kiss or shake hands as a safe means of greeting. But now, it's apparently too risky.
The World Health Organization's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the official leading the charge against the coronavirus outbreak, said on Twitter Saturday he favors a more distant sort of salute.
Experts say limiting physical contacts should help slow the march of a disease that's turned up in more than 80 countries in just over two months and killed almost 3,500 people. The WHO advises keeping at least 1 meter (3 feet) of social distance, among with other measures such as frequent hand-washing and resisting the urge to often touch one's face.
The new virus, which gets its name from the crown-like spikes that help it invade cells, spreads through the droplets emitted when an infected person coughs and sneezes.
To contact the reporters on this story: Marthe Fourcade in Paris at mfourcade@bloomberg.net;Thomas Mulier in Geneva at tmulier@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, James Ludden
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
