COVID-19 has put an at least temporary stay on the handshake but should it ever make a return? The Public Health Association of Australia suggests no.
The association has even come up with four alternative greetings to the handshake but, surprisingly not the elbow bump, and asked Twitter users to vote for their favourite.
They are:
1. Clapping hands: In Zimbabwe, the first person claps once and the second person claps twice.
2. Hand on heart: A greeting in Malaysia.
3. The bow: Popular in many Asian countries, often with hands clasped in front.
4. Thumbs up: A universally positive gesture, and the double thumbs up sends an extra special message.
Now that the handshake is out it's time to vote on your favourite physically-distant greeting! 👍👋👏✌️🖐️
— Public Health Association Australia (@_PHAA_) July 22, 2020
We walk through 4 different options here: https://t.co/Fal7kOk4PB
So, will you start using one of these to say hello or something else entirely? Over to you! #covidshake
By Friday evening, with two days of voting left, the hand on heart was just ahead of the bow with thumbs up in third and, sadly clapping hands, a distant last. (It just has a nice, Play School-throwback thing about it.)
The association says it didn't include the elbow bump, the preference of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, or the foot tap because "neither of these can be achieved from a safe social distance".
"And the dubious advice to cough and sneeze into our elbow and then use said elbow to greet people is perhaps even a bit symbolic of the chaos of coronavirus," a piece on its website read this week.
The association's CEO Terry Slevin is happy to ignite some debate on the subject, preferring a less disease-spreading option, even post-pandemic.
"Even before the arrival of coronavirus, there's been a sense that the handshake may have had its day," he said.
"Most of us have been high-fiving for many years and in more recent times, we've seen even US President Obama adopt the uber-cool fist bump. In these health-conscious COVID-19 times, handshakes have been replaced by new meet and greet options."
Mr Slevin believes there is an appetite for change.
"As we've emerged from lockdown and started returning to our workplaces, sporting venues and social meeting places, there's a distinct nervousness and unease about how we should greet each other," he said.
"Confining the handshake to history makes good sense but humans like to adhere to social norms and we need to find a new common greeting as a popular substitute.
"There's no doubt the traditional hug and kiss are off limits until further notice, so we've looked for what's been practised across the world to help us quickly move on from our handshake hangover.
"Our new social distancing practices immediately rule out options like the Maori nose rub, the European air kiss, the Greenland face sniff, and the pressing of cheeks from Pacific Polynesia."
There's little doubt coronavirus has just added a layer of awkwardness and anxiety to social greetings, especially in business situations. There's the half-hearted stopping in mid-flight as someone goes in for the autopilot handshake, followed by an awkward foot tap or elbow bump, the latter of which often seems unable to performed without an accompanying half-crazed look.
I, for one, will be very sad if coronavirus puts an end to traditions such as the Maori nose rub, beautiful in the way it immediately creates a connection and shared humanity, especially when dignitaries are involved.
There's also nothing better than a firm, direct handshake to get the pleasantries out of the way so the focus can turn to what comes next. Maybe one day it will return and we won't take it for granted.
