Mike Pence greets governor with ‘coronavirus handshake’ amid backlash over lack of testing kits in US

Some people are struggling to kick habit of shaking hands as a greeting

Although health authorities in numerous countries have now cautioned against shaking hands in an effort to rein-in the spread of coronavirus, some world leaders are refusing to lead by example.

Perhaps most notable are Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, who have both stated their intention to continue to manipulate other people’s grasping organs in greeting.

The British prime minister said he would continue to shake hands with people despite the outbreak of coronavirus, and on Thursday TV presenter Philip Schofield said he was unable to avoid shaking Mr Johnson’s hand before his appearance on the programme This Morning.

Mr Trump meanwhile — a man already famous for numerous awkward handshakes — has admitted he is not comfortable with shaking hands, but said he’s going to keep doing it anyway.

The same cannot be said for Vice President Mike Pence — the man who Mr Trump has appointed to lead the US response to the deadly outbreak.

Arriving by aeroplane in Washington state where he met Governor Jay Inslee, Mr Pence approached Mr Inslee, who instead of extending his hand, presented his elbow to the vice president, who then reciprocated, and the two men gently bumped the corners of their arms together.

Mr Pence has admitted the US is underprepared for the virus, and currently lacks enough testing equipment.

On Thursday he said the Trump administration would not be able to deliver the one million testing kits this week, as had been planned.

There are now almost 100,000 cases of coronavirus confirmed globally.

The World Health Organisation’s director of pandemic disease, Dr Sylvie Brand, has endorsed other methods of greeting, including waving, the Pence-style elbow bump, and the Thai “Wai” — pressing your hands together and bowing the head.

Mr Trump said during an interview on Fox News he was “not thrilled” about still going around shaking hands, but said: “You can’t be a politician and not shake hands”.

Attempting to explain his rationale, he added: “If there was ever a time that you could convince people not to shake hands, this would be it.

“I love the people of this country, and you can’t be a politician and not shake hands. And I’ll be shaking hands with people. [If] they want to say hello and hug you and kiss you, I don’t care.”

There are now at least 226 cases of the coronavirus in the United States, and at least 70 of them are in the Seattle area. At least 11 people have died.

According to new World Health Organization statistics released on Thursday, the mortality rate for the virus is 3.4 per cent — significantly higher than previous figures indicated.

Mr Trump said the rate was a “false number”.

“This is just my hunch”, the president said in a live phone interview on Fox News. Mr Trump then guessed at the coronavirus death rate — apparently pulling a figure out of thin air.

“I think that that number is very high. I think the number, personally, I would say the number is way under 1 per cent,” he told host Sean Hannity.

In Britain, Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he wasn’t about to stop shaking hands because of the deadly virus.

When asked how he was planning to greet visiting dignitaries, Mr Johnson replied: “I’m shaking hands”.

To the incredulity of many, he added: “I was at a hospital the other night where I think a few there were actually coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you’ll be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands”.

In the UK, people have been advised to wash their hands. Asked about hand shaking, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, told the Radio 4 Today programme this week: “The overriding scientific evidence is that shaking hands has minimal impact, it is not a significant thing, and therefore, so long as you wash your hands after you’ve shaken hands, and wash your hands more often, then that’s fine”.

However, the Premier League has banned football players from the usual pre-match fair play handshakes as a measure to help stop the spread of the virus.

Other countries where traditional greetings are being advised against include France, where health minister Olivier Véran has said people should consider cutting back on hugs and kisses, and Italy, where the country’s special commissioner for coronavirus, Angelo Borrelli, has said to help prevent the spread of the virus, people should rein-in the friendly double kiss, and be “a bit less expansive”.

In China, enormous red billboards are urging people to clasp their own two hands together, instead of shaking hands.

In Australia, New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard has suggested people slap each other on the back instead of shaking hands.

And in Iran, a viral video shows people tapping their feet together with one another as a means of forgoing the usual handshake.