How about adopting Indian style of greeting? 'Say Namaste', suggests Israel PM Netanyahu amid COVID-19

Tel Aviv, March 05: Coronavirus is shaking the towns up side forcing people around the globe to isolate themselves into shields. Amid such times, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Namaste has found a solution to greet people without touching each other. Instead of the normal handshake, Netanyahu has suggested his countrymen to opt for 'Namaste' to greet each other, which is a customary way to greet each other in India with folded hands.

 

"Just avoid shaking hands as I do. You can try to implement the Indian system of Namaste or say another word like shalom, but find a way, any way of not shaking hands", Netanyahu said. Benjamin Netanyahu also demonstrated how Indians greet each other with Namaste.

 

 

The novel coronavirus spreads through contact with droplets spread during coughing and sneezing, doctors say. Besides keeping contact to a minimum with an infected person, the preventive measures include frequent washing of hands and use of hand sanitisers.

 

Benjamin Netanyahu's familiarity with Indian customs and traditions are not surprising. Netanyahu is known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their bonhomie being widely discussed in Indian and Israeli media. He visited India in January 2018 while PM Modi travelled to Tel Aviv in 2017.

"We have had to take rigorous steps to slow the spread of the disease in Israel, we have taken select isolation and flight policies and measures for flights," he said, reporting to the agency. Israel has 15 confirmed cases of the deadly virus but no deaths, with some 7,000 others in home-quarantine. Public gatherings of more than 5,000 people have been banned in Israel and asked people to refrain from going abroad.

 

Over 3,000 people have died globally due to the deadly virus that does not have a cure yet. Over 90,000 people have been infected worldwide with 28 reported cases in India. The virus that originated in China's Wuhan in December last year has spread to over 60 countries.