In an attempt to minimize the chances of spreading coronavirus which has originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the Chinese people have started tapping feet instead of the traditional handshake to greet each other.
Videos have surfaced showing people from China touching others’ shoes with their shoes when they meet because of the international health crisis that has its roots in China.
The Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Weibo, has branded the new greeting gesture as the “foot-touching curtsy.”
A viral video, originating from a Weibo account of someone from Ningbo, shows a man getting out of a vehicle while several people wait to welcome him.
When the people try to greet the guest with a handshake, he stops them with a gesture and then greets one of the receivers by tapping once with each of his feet.
Another similar video surfaced on the short-video website Douyin, most likely filmed in Shenzhen, which shows five people greeting each other after a tea party following the extended Lunar New Year celebrations.
People using Chinese social media services have mixed responses regarding the novel curtsy being introduced in China.
A Weibo user jokingly said: “Now you need a pair of good quality shoes.”
Another commented: “These people are so creative!” A third person said: “Are we all going to greet each other like this from now on?”
At the same time, someone raised concern, saying: “What if the virus gets passed through the soles?”
However, the Chinese are not the only ones to use the foot-to-foot greeting.
In Iran, the country that has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases, people are using the same innovative greeting method to avoid getting the virus.
In Britain, the hashtag StopShakingHands is being used widely as the outbreak has spread and is making more and more people infected.
People are reducing handshake instances to cut down the chances of getting the deadly virus.
Other European nations are also being careful as much as they can to halt the spread of the viral epidemic. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s handshake was refused by Horst Seehofer, the interior minister.
Merkel herself refused to shake the hands of people attending an event previously to avoid the chances of getting corona.
So far, COVID-19 has affected 89,700 people worldwide and the death toll of the virus currently stands at 3,060.
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