ENGLAND, March 12, 2020 (Oprah Magazine): COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus, was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11. And with health experts saying that one of the leading ways to contact the virus is through “shaking hands or kissing somebody who is sick,” it’s understandable if you’d want to practice caution when coming in contact with others, no matter how many of those hand-washing memes you see. But what about those situations where greeting someone is unavoidable–or when you just don’t want to be rude? There are alternatives to avoid handshakes, and a certain royal has been putting a time-tested method into practice.
While attending public engagements earlier this week, Prince Charles was seen offering salutations to others with a namaste. It’s a traditional and respected Hindu greeting in which one places their palms together in-front of their chest and offers a slight bow. But it also doubles as an epically non-shady way to say, “No hand touching for me, please and thank you,” instead of straight-up dissing someone. But if that or namaste doesn’t feel all that natural, there are plenty of other ways to avoid handshaking if you’re worried about contracting or spreading the coronavirus. See “source” above for alternatives.
Click here for an excellent article on the esoteric meaning of Namaste:
https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/the-power-of-namaste