Let’s Wuhan Shake the COVID-19 fears away

While most people around the world are avoiding shaking hands amidst COVID-19 fears, some have found a creative solution.

Dubbed the Wuhan Shake, people are greeting each other by tapping their foot lightly against each other several times.

A 15-second video of three men using their feet to greet each other has generated more than 67,100 views on Twitter, inspiring many others to recreate the hands-free greeting on social media.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the world, more countries have started to adopt alternative greetings in place of the common handshake.

Notable changes include the temporary suspension of the Maori greeting in New Zealand, and publishing advice on “replacing kissing on the cheek” in France’s newspapers. In Vietnam, users have started posting hand washing dance videos on social media platform TikTok to fight the epidemic.

Following the shift in Singapore’s DORSCON level to Orange on Feb 7, 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has advised Singaporeans to avoid shaking hands to reduce the risk of getting infected.

Other recommendations include maintaining good personal hygiene and practising regular hand washing with soap and water, or using hand sanitisers.

While it’s important for us to take these precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, it is also good for us to find creative ways to “go about our lives as normally as possible”, as PM Lee encouraged.

Do you think this quirky footshake will take off in Singapore? As for us, we’ll stick to sending virtual greetings instead.