Your daughter makes an excellent point, although I note that some lists of advice recently have called for using a tissue and discarding it promptly. (Of course, last time around they recommended against tissues because they don’t hold up well against a sneeze. I wonder who forgot what on that point.)
Social distancing includes staying 6 feet (2 meters) apart as much as possible. That would seem to exclude bumping elbows and touching feet as well as shaking hands. Even a fist bump is breaking that distance “bubble” unless done at full arms’ length.
I like Spock’s Vulkan Salute, or perhaps the Japanese form of greeting, a short, slight mutual bow from the waist.
Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY
PZAVON**At_Symbol_Here**Rochester.rr.com
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Ernest Lippert
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2020 7:25 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Bumping Elbows
My grandson said "Spock's salute is The One True Greeting". My daughter made the following observation:
I just want to point out that bumping elbows is a really bad idea. We teach kids, and do ourselves, to cough and sneeze into our forearm/crook of our elbow. That makes that part of the body something I don't want to get anywhere close to! I recommend the "Wuhan handshake" where you touch feet - or just be content with a gentlemanly nod and smile. Social distancing means no shaking hands, or bumping elbows, or even touching feet! But smiles can travel across that distance!
Ernest Lippert
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