Is the handshake dead because of Covid-19?

Shaking hands may become a thing of the past because of Covid-19, public health experts have said. The traditional greeting should be replaced with bowing, or a more 'Japanese approach'.

Professor Dame Anne Johnson, vice president of the Academy of Medical Science, said a cultural shift was needed to stop a second wave and called for fewer hand shakes and less kissing.

Professor Peter Piot, a microbiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'Shaking hands is probably out forever.'

Professor Piot said that individual behaviour needs to change in order to combat coronavirus and the possibility of other epidemics. During the discussion on Covid-19 with peers, he said: 'Using face masks when you have a common cold should be the norm.' He also claimed there was evidence from Australia to show that Covid-19 prevention measures were also stopping the spread of other illnesses.

Professor Piot also said the origin of not shaking hands in some cultures 'may have been determined by the need to avoid epidemics'.