Netanyahu advises Israelis to use India's ancient 'Namaste' greeting to fend off germs amid coronavirus epidemic
Benjamin Netanyahu has called on his countrymen to abandon traditional handshakes in order to stop the spread of coronavirus. Instead he recommended a no-contact gesture like India's 'Namaste' greeting or the Hebrew shalom.
Netanyahu said that he has already adopted the no-handshake policy, and suggested that his fellow Israelis do the same.
"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," the Israeli prime minister said during a press conference. He then demonstrated how Indians greet each other by folding their hands.
Flattered by the health tip, the Indian embassy in Israel tweeted out Netanyahu's advice to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu @netanyahu encourages Israelis to adopt the Indian way of greeting #Namaste at a press conference to mitigate the spread of #coronaviruspic.twitter.com/gtSKzBDjl4
— India in Israel (@indemtel) March 4, 2020
Israel currently has 15 confirmed cases of Covid-19, but has yet to report any deaths. Some 7,000 others have been placed in home quarantine.
On Wednesday, Tel Aviv ordered a two-week quarantine for all people arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland amid growing fears over the virus. Israel had previously implemented similar measures on travelers from Italy, China, and several other coronavirus hotspots.
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