I don’t want to shake your hand, and I really don’t think you want to shake mine.
That sounds terrible, I know. Shaking hands is a traditional greeting that conveys warmth and goodwill. The custom dates to at least the 5th Century B.C. when the Greeks used the open handshake to demonstrate they were not armed.
Handshaking has been on the decline in this country in recent years as more people turn to the fist bump or other greeting gestures. A decade ago, Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer released a survey showing half of Americans prefer the fist bump over the classic handshake.
One of the reasons is that Americans have grown increasingly conscious of the spread of germs, particularly during cold and flu season. And now we have the threat of the coronavirus.
Every health advisory on what people can do to protect themselves from the coronavirus starts with keeping your hands clean.
“It’s worth repeating, over and over again: wash your hands,” the New York Times reported. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.”
Good advice, but the ubiquitous handshake makes hand cleanliness even more difficult. Dr. Michael Ben-Aderet, Associate Medical Director of Epidemiology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, said in an interview last year that if people are going to shake hands, they should wash their hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
“Proper hand hygiene is extremely effective in removing pathogens, whether it’s viruses, fungi or bacteria.”
Or here’s an idea to accompany good hand hygiene; We can just stop shaking hands altogether.
Health officials in several of the countries affected by the coronavirus have advised people to stop shaking hands. One newspaper account said Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkle’s attempt to shake by keeping his hands to himself and just smiling.
That’s a good idea. A smile and direct eye contact is better than a sweaty/or dry germ-filled handshake any day.
Heifer International pushed a useful guide to greetings around the world. A common Asian practice is a slight bow of the head with hands pressed together in front of the chest. No physical contact.
Several hospitals have experimented with handshake-free zones. Frankly, that should be a given in place where the primary focus is not making people sicker than they already are.
Granted, this is going to be a hard habit to break. The employment website Diverse Staffing has a whole section on how to shake hands in a job interview. “If the interviewer doesn’t automatically offer you their hand, you should offer yours. It shows that you take initiative and will result in a good first impression.”
Wow, that’s a lot of pressure on shaking hands and I suspect refusing to shake the employer’s hand is a bad way to start the interview.
I’m not going to be militant about this and refuse to shake hands. That would be rude. But this is a two-way street. After all, you won’t know when the last time was that I washed my hands.