Canadian doctor stops shaking hands and advises people to use another form of acknowledgment, such as putting their hands in prayer, bowing or just smiling and looking someone in the eyes when saying hello.
“Wash your hands” has been the usual advice during flu season but “hands off” may well be the new mantra to reduce the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus as social norms like shaking hands are shunned for nods, smiles and tapping of feet.
Some churches in Canada have replaced handshakes with other gestures as COVID-19 spreads around the world.
Melissa Godbout, spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Vancouver, said the archbishop has sent a letter to priests saying parishioners could be advised to replace handshakes with other ways of acknowledging each other during the sign of peace portion at mass.
She said her parish priest in nearby Chilliwack has acknowledged the virus as the dioceses watches for recommendations from the provincial government.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and checking in with the Ministry of Health multiple times a day and we will be working on updating the policy should we deem it necessary,” Godbout said.
“At my parish …. this past weekend our priest said if we feel comfortable we should just bow or nod instead of shaking hands so that’s what we did.”
Canada had 33 cases of the virus — 20 in Ontario, 12 in British Columbia and one in Quebec.
WATCH: Doctor encourages alternatives to hand shaking
Dr. Colin Lee, a specialist in public health and infectious dis