Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, have come up with a new greeting style to cub the spread of the Coronavirus, otherwise called COVID-19, outbreak in Lagos.
The two men were seen in a viral video on Sunday greeting each other with their legs when he visited the isolation centre at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba.
A World Health Organization (WHO) official has also shown support for the ‘handshake alternative’ greeting practice, such as the ‘foot shake’, to fight coronavirus transmission.
Singapore’s Yon Loo Lin School of Medicine scholar, Walter Cotte W. @waltercotte, had initially posted a “handshake alternative” comic/guide under the ‘COVID-19 Chronicles’, complete with suggestions of ways to greet others besides the traditional handshake and flirty kiss. Alternative practices include a good ol’ wave, the ‘foot shake’, and the ‘elbow’.
Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of epidemic and pandemic diseases at WHO, retweeted a screenshot of the comic, alongside the caption, “We need to adapt to this new disease.”
This push to adapt our societal greeting practices in the wake of coronavirus’ spread has prompted many (in the worst-affected areas) to showcase their ‘foot-shakes’ online.
While this comic is gaining ground across the world, it readily serves as a reminder on the things to note in order not to be exposed to coronavirus.
