‘Namaste’ goes global amid Coronavirus outbreak

With the Coronavirus outbreak hitting every part of the world, people have become more conscious of their habits. World leaders have ditched the handshake and have taken to the Indian pleasantry of folding their hands in a ‘Namaste’ amid the given novel coronavirus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an address to the nation on Saturday, said that the world is shifting to the Namaste and if any of us have forgotten to use the Namaste, now is the time to remember it. Along with PM Modi, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra also took to Instagram and advocated the use of Namaste to greet people given the coronavirus pandemic.

These world leaders preferred the Namaste as a form of greeting as compared to the handshake.
Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar greeted each other with the ‘namaste’ when they met at the White House recently.

Prince Charles

A video of Prince Charles went viral on Twitter where he can be seen retracting his hand from a handshake to a folded ‘namaste’ at the recent Prince’s Trust Awards at the London Palladium.

Emmanuel Macron

The President of France also chose to stand with his hands folded with a slight bow when he welcomed King Felipe of Spain to the Elysee Palace.

Benjamin Netanyahu

The Prime Minister of Israel has urged all Israelis to resort to the Indian ‘namaste’ rather than a handshake to save themselves from the coronavirus infection.

Health benefits of the Namaste amid the coronavirus pandemic

The Namaste is the most hygienic greeting in the world. There is no physical contact between two people and so the chances of passing infections are minimal. The virus is spread through the respiratory droplets which can infect another person if you shake hands. Kissing on the cheeks and hugging are a popular form of greeting in many countries. People have been advised not to use forms of greeting that involve any close contact with people to contain the spread of the disease.